News

New collection of posters brings the turn-of-the-century to a terrace of Buda Castle A new outdoor installation of 25 posters has been opened on the terrace of the Castle Gaden Bazaar. The exhibit opens the door to the life, industry and politics of the past. The newly opened collection includes the posters of Budapest Orpheum, the Holzer Budapest Clothes Shop, the Törley Champagne Factory, the newly-opened Corvin Department Store, and the Budapest Operetta Theater's poster for its revue Halló Amerika. The works of the poster artist Géza Faragó are on display on the southern panorama terrace of the Castle Garden Bazaar.

Memorial to victims of the Hableány accident to be erected near Margit Bridge A memorial to the victims of the tragic accident that led to the sinking of the Hableány riverboat on 29 May 2019 will be erected on Széchenyi Embankment near Margit Bridge, not far from the location of the crash. Penta Általános Építőipari Kft. has been contracted for the work, which will be completed before the second anniversary of the tragedy.

A virtual visit to Budapest – Explore Kossuth Square online A new virtual tour of Kossuth Square around the Hungarian Parliament building has been released. The virtual space includes a collection of rarely seen films and less known facts to offer visitors a deeper understanding of the Hungarian nation's main square, its buildings and memorials.

Unique bicycle track being built in Budafok A bicycle pump track will be built in the 22nd District, in a previously unused area next to the Budafoki elágazás tram stop. Amateur and professional cyclists will be able to use the area. A wide promenade will lead through the park, and other communal spaces will be built as well.

House of Hungarian Music to open before Christmas The construction of the House of Hungarian Music in City Park has entered its final stage. To commemorate the occasion, a time capsule was placed in the centre of the building. The institution will open its doors to the general public before Christmas this year.

Restoration of Turul statue begins in Buda Castle The turul statue of Buda Castle has been lifted from its pedestal and moved to a temporary restoration workshop created on Savoyai Terrace. The statue will be cleaned, its bronze work repaired, and the internal iron frame reinforced.

International Investment Bank moved into Chain Bridge Palace The listed historical monument, Chain Bridge Palace, designed by Miklós Ybl, has become the Budapest headquarters of the International Investment Bank. The Renaissance revival building was completed in 1869 and opened in its new function on Friday.

Six months to go – Saint Stephen's Hall ever closer to (re)completion On 20 August, the first reconstructed ornate hall of the Royal Palace of Buda Castle will open to the public. Saint Stephen's Hall has the most lavish representative space of the turn of the century, housing several unique artistic and applied artistic solutions. The structure of the rebuilt Southern Connecting Wing of the Royal Palace is now complete, internal work will begin in the coming days.

A palace of glass – Szervita Square Building completed The new glass building on Szervita Square will house offices, luxury apartments and a parking garage. With seven overground and five underground stories the building replaced the old parking garage that was built on the square in 1973.

Cultural Centre in Buda Civic Casino to open on Krisztina Square The Budavár Cultural Centre has moved out of its previous home, the Andrássy Palace, at 6 Bem Quay. The institution will soon move into its new home at 1 Krisztina Square in the newly renovated building of the former Buda Civic Casino. The institution will operate as the Sándor Márai Cultural Center in the future.

Renovation of Klauzál Square Planned The largest square in Erzsébetváros will be redesigned with larger green spaces, a dog park, and a playground. The local council awaits input from residents regarding the plans.

Large-scale reforestation programme set to begin in Budapest The renewal and reforestation of forests in and around Budapest will start in two locations, Budakeszi forest in the 13th District and Határ forest in Kőbánya. The programme aims to increase the ratio of indigenous trees and shrubs in the forests and remove dangerous weak plants.

Designs of future Szentlélek Square made public Szentlélek Square, one of the busiest public transport junction in Óbuda is to be renovated. The first visuals of the plans have been made public. The modernisation will be carried out in multiple phases. In the first, the current pavilions will be replaced with new structures, including public restrooms, a tobacco shop and a breakfast café. The central building will be built in the second phase within three years.

Renovation of Nyugati Railway Station's roof completed The new roof structure of Nyugati Railway Station has been completed, and four of the 6 spires around the building have been restored. However, work continues, in other parts of the building, such as the cash register hall, the fast-food restaurant, the facades and towers of which will also be restored.

Public park planned in Bástya Street will showcase archaeological finds from the area The future public park at 1–11 Bástya Street in Pest will be built next to the old Pest city wall's longest still-standing section. The newly published plans reveal that a mini educational trail will be created to present the archaeological artefacts found in the area. Planners have also put great emphasis on the comfort of the visitors and creating green surfaces.

Engine shed near Western Railway Station to be transformed into acrobat training centre The National Centre for Circus Arts will be built next to the Western Railway Station. A former engine shed will be transformed into an acrobat training school. The construction of the centre has been declared a priority investment for the national economy.

Visuals for the renovation of the old Kelenföld railway station published The Museum of Transport has published visuals of the planned conversion of the Budapest-Kelenföld railway station. The dilapidated station building closed in 2019. The Museum of Science, Technology and Transport will create a new exhibition space about the history of the railway in the building, which will also house temporary exhibitions. In a government decree on Tuesday, the renovation of the building was classified a priority investment.

Lower embankment to be renovated between Parliament and Margit Bridge The Budapest City council has begun the process of renovating the pest lower embankment between Margit Bridge and Kossuth Square. The public procurement tender published today on the EU website details that the work will be completed until 31 December 2021. The government will provide 787 million HUF in funding towards the project.

Massive leisure park to be created on neglected plots near Pál-Völgyi Cave A leisure park will be established on three neglected plots bordered by Csalit Street – Csatárka Road – Szikla Street in the 2nd District. The plans have been made following consultations with locals. The leisure park will include an outdoor gym, a geological and botanical educational trail and garden, a running track, a playground, a giant slide, a dog park and a traffic park.

Archaeologists unearth early Bronze Age tombs in Csepel – Finds reveal scattered ash burials Archaeological excavations within the Csepel Freeport have uncovered artefacts from the Early Bronze Age. Although the material of the prehistoric pits is still being studied, the site of scattered ash-rite burials dating back to the Early Bronze Age is especially of note. Excavations have revealed ten vessels, making it clear that Csepel has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

Lookout tower to stand next to the largest lake in Budapest The newest lookout tower of the capital will be completed soon in the 16th District in the forest surrounding Lake Naplás. The 22-meter-high building, constructed from wooden beams, has been designed to fit into its environment and will offer an unparalleled panorama of Lake Naplás and the Gödöllő Hills.

New visuals: Take a look at the Ministry of Finance The final designs of the office block to be built in the Fortuna Courtyard of the Ministry of Finance on Szentháromság Square have been revealed. An office block stood in the courtyard until 2019 when it was torn down.

Short film showcases new permanent exhibition of Museum of Ethnography The new building of the Museum of Ethnography on the edge of City Park will open its doors in 2022. For this special occasion, the institution is creating new permanent exhibitions. The museum has just released a few-minute-long short film showcasing the preparations and offering a look behind the scenes.

Puskás Arena nominated for EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture Puskás Arena has been listed as a candidate for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. The 208,000-square-metre stadium was opened in 2019 after 3 years of design and 3 years of construction. With its height of 52 meters, the arena has become a characteristic element of the Budapest cityscape.

New World War II memorial to be built in 12th District – Turul Statue not to be renamed A new World War II memorial will be built in the 12th District near Városmajor Church. The statue may be finished this year. The tender announced for the project closes this month. The mayor of the 12th District, Zoltán Pokorni. is likely to recommend that the Turul Statue in the district not be reclassified as a World War I memorial, but that it stand with a detailed explanatory board about its symbolism and history.

Playground in Meggyfa Street being redesigned The renovation of the playground on Meggyfa Street in the 3rd District will begin at the beginning of February. New games will be installed, plants added, and safe paving laid. A drinking fountain and a 3D hopscotch game are also part of the plans. Work is expected to take two months.

Citadel renovation to create 1500 square-metre exhibition space Several lifts, a pool, a 1,500-square-metre exhibition space and a twenty-metre flagpole will also be installed in the Citadel as a part of the current reconstruction, which will see the walls and gardens of the structure completed in 1854 completely renewed. The work will be carried out by the consortium of ZÁÉV and Market Zrt. for 14.8 billion HUF.

Csepel to host one of the largest parks in Budapest Kiírták a közbeszerzést Budapest egyik legnagyobb parkjának tervezésére. A mindenki által látogatható, nyitott észak-csepeli közpark összesen 36 hektáron épül meg, pihenőterekkel, közösségi kertekkel, sportpályákkal, gyalogos- és kerékpárutakkal. A tervek két év alatt készülnek el.

New school building on Völgy Street in 2nd District nears completion A topping-out ceremony has been held at the new school building under construction in Völgy Street within the 2nd District. Teaching will begin in the new structure in September, with 350 students enjoying the new conditions.