Reconstruction of the semicircular colonnade behind the bronze statue, designed by Gyula Jankovits and erected in 1904, depicting the namesake of Gellérthegy, begins, the local council of the 1st district has started. The area of the colonnade designed by Imre Francsek Sr. will therefore be closed to visitors soon, the renovation will be done by the Budapest Gallery, and the works are expected to last until the end of the year. 

The Gellért statue and the colonnade behind it were photographed in 1963 from the Buda pillar of the Erzsébet Bridge (Photo: Fortepan / Image ID: 26464)

In addition to the colonnade of the Gellért statue, repairs are also being carried out on the Monument to the Displaced in the 1st district, on Szarvas Square. The work, erected in 2010 and designed by Géza Széri-Varga, commemorates the people who were moved out of Budapest between 1950 and 1953.

Monument to the Displaced in Szarvas Square (Photo: budavar.hu)

Not far from Szarvas Square, also in Tabán, at the junction of Kereszt Street and Naphegy Street, the area around Memorial Column 56 is also being closed because it has become dangerous. The comprehensive renovation of the obelisk will take longer, according to the 1st District local council, and work is not expected to begin until 2022. 

The Obelisk of 56 in Tabán (Photo: Zsófia Viczián / pestbuda.hu)

Cover photo: (Photo: Both Balázs / pestbuda.hu)