Alajos Hauszmann

Who became a fan of Art Nouveau: the architectural legacy of Artúr Sebestyén, born 155 years ago Artúr Sebestyén, born 155 years ago today, was one of the important architects of the turn of the century. After graduating from the University of Technology, he worked in Alajos Hauszmann's office, his architectural work was initially defined by Neo-Baroque forms, then he increasingly turned his attention to Hungarian motifs. He designed many buildings in the capital, in the countryside and beyond the borders. His best-known work is the unmissable Art Nouveau creation, the Gellért Hotel and Thermal Bath.

Hidden in the Strong Room - This is how the Holy Crown was kept in Buda Castle Today, it is taken for granted that anyone can view the Holy Crown of Hungary. But for centuries it was stored in a closed chest with iron straps, protected by keys and seals, and could only be taken out on special holidays, such as the coronation in 1867, the millennium celebration in 1896 or the Eucharistic Congress in 1938. On the occasion of the return of the fearfully guarded national treasure 45 years ago, Pestbuda presents the conditions under which the crown was guarded in Buda Castle.

This is what the reborn Buda Castle will look like - From now on, anyone can see the plans The restoration of the Buda Castle has begun, and the visuals for its reconstruction have been published in the past few days, so now we know exactly what the building will look like after the reconstruction is completed. The Neo-Baroque royal palace was built between 1890 and 1905 with a significant expansion of the previous palace, but after 1945 it was rebuilt and simplified due to war damage. Anyone can see the reconstruction plans in the visitor centre that opened on Monday in Hunyadi Court.

In the footsteps of Endre Thék, Miksa Róth, and Gyula Jungfer - Turn-of-the-century fine art and crafts will be taught again In Budapest, several of the previously destroyed buildings of historical importance have been recreated in recent years, but due to the lack of skilled craftsmen, the implementation was a huge challenge. The reconstructions currently underway and planned in the future will be helped by the fact that starting next year, a training course will be launched in which these crafts, which also require artistic talent, can be mastered at a high level - it was announced at the Hauszmann Foundation's conference in Buda Castle on Thursday.

From the Curia's building to the City Park: the Hungarian National Gallery opened 65 years ago The Hungarian National Gallery is one of the best-known institutions in the country and the capital, which celebrates its 65th anniversary this year. The institution, which collects masterpieces of Hungarian art, opened its doors to visitors on 5 October 1957 in its first home, in the Curia's building on Kossuth Square designed by Alajos Hauszmann, to which the Museum of Ethnography later moved. It occupied its current location, buildings B, C and D of the Buda Castle, in 1975. Within the framework of the Liget Project, the plans for the new home have already been drawn up, although its implementation is still pending.

The former headquarters of the Red Cross Society will soon show its original appearance The reconstruction of the building in Buda, originally designed by Alajos Hauszmann and Dezső Hültl, began in 2021, and recently the structural construction work was completed, so in addition to the construction of the roof and facade, the interior work will start in the autumn. With the reconstruction of the house at 1-2 Dísz Square, a wound in the cityscape that has been open for more than seventy years will be healed.

Surroundings of Buda Castle - The historic gardens are being renewed The National Hauszmann Program covers not only the reconstruction of the buildings of the Buda Palace District, but also the renovation of the gardens surrounding them. The royal environment at the turn of the century naturally also demanded eye-catching green surfaces, on which an army of gardeners worked. This wonderful environment survived the siege relatively unscathed, but the rebuilding after World War II did not spare it, so in fact these gardens can also be considered huge losers of deliberate destruction.

Decorative painting on the walls was found in the renewed building of the Palace of Justice In 1949, the administration of justice was moved out of the Palace of Justice on Kossuth Square, opposite the Parliament, after which the building was divided into two parts, between which a wall was erected. The building is currently being restored, and in the process, original decorative painting was found in several places under the demolished walls.

The builder of the royal palace was born 175 years ago - Alajos Hauszmann is remembered Alajos Hauszmann, who was born 175 years ago, is remembered on Thursday at the tomb in Fiumei road. He was the designer of the expansion and reconstruction of the Royal Mansion in Kossuth Square, the New York Palace, the main building of the Technical University, and the Royal Palace, but many public buildings, private houses and villas in Budapest were designed according to his plans. Through his work as a teacher, he had a significant influence on the Hungarian architecture and architects of the turn of the century.

Original decorative fireplaces were found during the research of the Buda Castle The experts of the Várkapitányság discovered another valuable find during the research carried out in the Buda Castle, as they found a marble fireplace in the dining room between the royal and princely suites, in addition to the ornamental fireplaces of the former Andrássy and Deák foyers in the Krisztinaváros wing. The finds will make a significant contribution to the most authentic reconstruction possible, as the fireplaces have always been in keeping with the room, so they can provide an important point of reference.

Not only spaces, but also ages are connected by the reborn Hauszmann ramp in the Csikós courtyard One of the newest buildings of the Buda Castle connects the Hunyadi courtyard with the Csikós courtyard, starting next to the Royal Guard. Walking along the Hauszmann ramp that is the same as the original, we can not only admire the panorama of Krisztinaváros, but also discover exciting details: the walls of the building preserve the memories of several eras.

A forgotten ramp - Another part of Buda Castle is being rebuilt Buda Castle was not only a beautiful architectural work inside and out until the middle of the 20th century, but also a venue for dazzling events, where guests arrived in carriages and later in elegant cars. After 1905, the main entrance opened from Szent György Square, in a newly built wing building with a ramp on the other side. This building, which bridges the level difference, will also be part of the future reconstruction of the palace.

The Hauszmann ramp connecting the Csikós yard and the Hunyadi yard in the Buda Castle has been completed The Hauszmann ramp connecting the rebuilt Csikós courtyard and the Hunyadi courtyard has been completed, and its external appearance is an integral part of the rest of the castle wall, including the recently renovated Ybl retaining wall. From now on, the ramp can be reached again on foot to the level of the Buda Castle.

New monumental restorations in the Buda Castle - The Habsburg Gate, the Fountain of the Fishing Children and their surroundings have been beautified We can see another part of the surroundings of the Budavár Palace in the same form as it was once created by the great masters of the turn of the century, the architect Alajos Hauszmann, the sculptor Gyula Jungfer, the sculptors Károly Senyei and Gyula Donáth. Yesterday, the Habsburg Gate, its staircase, and the Fountain of the Fishing Children were handed over, after being renovated together with their surroundings. We visited the site, where we could not only see the demanding restoration of these artistic works, but also see a special festive exhibition as well as an intimate Advent fair.

Between the Riding Hall and the Royal Guard - The role of the Csikós Court and the Stöckl Stairs in the Castle The western side of the Buda Castle has been loud from truck noise in recent years, as the former Royal Riding Hall and the Royal Guard building have been rebuilt as part of the National Hauszmann Program. These beautiful buildings have been completed before, and more recently they have been working on the Csikós Court that surrounds them, which was finally opened to the public in mid-September. We invite the Reader for a short journey, during which we will pass through the court, and the end of our journey will be the also rebuilt, charming Stöckl Stairs.

A worthy plot of land for the Palace of Justice has been found opposite the Parliament - The building of the Curia is 125 years old Recently, the name of Alajos Hauszmann has been in the public consciousness, mainly as an architect of the Royal Palace, due to the constructions in the castle, but many other works are also connected to his name in Budapest. One of his most notable and most successful works is the building of the Curia in the Kossuth Square, which was handed over just 125 years ago, on 20 October 1896, in a ceremonial setting, as part of the millennium celebrations.

Budapest then and now – 6 photos showing how much the cityscape has changed over a century The change in Budapest can be surprising when looking at old pictures: the former riding hall behind the National Museum, the New Building (Újépület) on the site of the current Szabadság Square, the disappeared houses of Pest and Buda downtown, the former splendour of the Buda Palace, and the beautiful historic buildings which stood on the site of the series of hotels along the Danube. What has changed and what is constant? Take a look at the six pictures Pestbuda collected.

The world-famous chandeliers of the Kissling Factory - The former ornate luminaires were re-created for St. Stephen's Hall Among the outstanding applied arts companies of the age of dualism, Rudolf Kissling and his son played a significant role with their chandelier and bronze cast factory. Thanks to their artistic work, many of the public buildings built in this era were decorated with their chandeliers and other bronze objects. The original chandeliers of the St. Stephen's Hall in Buda Castle were also made by the Kissling Factory, and the works of applied art were re-created after a long research work.

The Pest Zoo opened in the City Park 155 years ago People have always been curious about special, exotic animals: the stuntmen who appeared in Pest-Buda in the 18th century and travelled with an army of animals have always enjoyed great popularity. However, the real zoo had to wait a long time: it opened its doors on 9 August 1866. The beautiful park quickly became popular among the citizens of Pestbuda, where they could see kangaroos, parrots and reindeers. Giraffes did not arrive at the Zoo until 1868, through the intervention of Queen Elisabeth (Empress Elisabeth of Austria).

For the first time, we can see in photos what the reborn St. Stephen's Hall looks like For the first time, we can see in photos what the new St. Stephen's Hall in the Buda Castle looks like, which will be opened to the public on 20 August, in two weeks. In the newly taken photographs, we can see several details of the historic ceremonial hall, including the new Zsolnay fireplace, new floor and wall coverings, new pyrogranite images of kings and Hungarian saints, and even a close-up of an armchair and a curtain upholstery.

Reconstruction of the former Red Cross headquarters begins in Buda Castle During the reconstruction of the building, which was built for the Red Cross Society and then housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was demolished after the Second World War, it will faithfully follow the original corner dome in its outer features. However, the interior of the building will house modern technology. The partial renovation of the neighbouring Batthyány Palace is also being carried out.

The final touches are being made in the St. Stephen's Hall of the Buda Palace As a result of the years of work of many experts, from 20 August we can admire the St. Stephen's Hall in the Buda Palace in its old light. The years of work are now coming to an end, almost all the former decorative elements have been put in place. Once again, the bust of St. Stephen stands on the world-famous Zsolnay fireplace, the pyrogranite images depicting the kings and saints of the Árpád dynasty have also been placed, and the huge chandeliers and special wall sconces have also been installed. After the opening on 20 August, it will be free to access the St. Stephen's Hall for a few days.

Guardians of Buda Castle – traditions of the Hungarian Royal Guards come to life in the café of the Guard House After almost fifty years, the Guard House (Főőrség) once again stands in full beauty on the western side of the Hunyadi courtyard. The recently opened café revives the traditions of the Hungarian Royal Guards. The exhibition on the first floor presents the history of the military unit of Hungary with the help of original uniforms, weapons, and copies of contemporary documents. The café's menu evokes the heyday of the Budapest café culture. Its interior refers to the colours of the guard's uniforms, which was one of the top Hungarian national uniforms. Pestbuda asked managing director István Bottyán about the past and present of the renewed Guard House.

"The most lavish fireplace ever made in Hungary" Hardly anyone would doubt that the country’s most famous fireplace stood in the St. Stephen’s Hall of the Royal Palace. Vilmos Zsolnay lived to see the making of the sophisticatedly designed and executed masterpiece made of Zsolnay majolica, but he could no longer supervise its installation: he died not long before. Lucky posterity, however, may soon admire the work destroyed after World War II, as the former masterpieces were rebuilt under the National Hauszmann Program in the reborn St. Stephen's Hall. In this article, Pestbuda looks at the behind-the-scenes of the redesigning of the fireplace.

Facade of southern connecting wing restored according to original plans – Royal Palace of Buda stands in its original splendour During the reconstruction of the Buda Castle, the original, turn-of-the-century condition of the southern connecting wing has been restored. Várkapitányság has announced, the southern facade of the building was rebuilt according to the original plans, as has the northern facade facing the Lion's Court. After the restoration of the internal spaces, the interior design of Saint Stephen's Hall also started a few weeks ago.

Missing inscription to return to the facade of Palace of Justice A Latin inscription once proclaimed the judicial role of the building that stands opposite the Parliament building on Kossuth Square. Until 1949 the Palace of Justice housed the Curia, Hungary's highest court of appeal. The inscription was removed in the 1950s. During the building's renovation and the relocation of the Curia, the original inscription will return after seventy years.

65 years of National Poetry Day – Sculptures in Budapest pay tribute to poetry For the second year in a row, the country is celebrating National Poetry Day behind closed doors. After last year's tour of statues, when Pestbuda visited the monuments of famous poets, we now showcase several works depicting poetry itself on Budapest's famous buildings.

Reconstruction of the former Red Cross headquarters on Dísz Square to begin in 2021 Designed by Alajos Hauszmann and Dezső Hültl, the palace once housed the Red Cross Society, and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The representative spaces of the palace, torn down after World War II, and its façade will be rebuilt according to the original plans. Other areas will be reimagined for the modern age.

A lookout in the works – Medieval István Tower the inspiration behind tower of the National Archives The National Hauszmann Program recently announced that the destroyed tower of the National Archives' building in Buda Castle would be rebuilt during the building's renovation. Join Pestbuda on a stroll through the history of this iconic tower.