Results of the Developments at Budapest’s World Heritage Sites (I.)
Dr. Anett Tőzsér’s (researcher, Research Institute for National Strategy) article.
The Budapest World Heritage Sites are part of the world’s built and cultural heritage, one of Hungary’s most attractive landmarks and a defining element of the Hungarian image. Preserving, protecting, using and displaying it in a way worthy of its importance is a public interest priority of paramount importance for society’s present and future generations. Many of the Budapest World Heritage Sites have already been renovated or are in the process of being renovated (e.g., under the Hauszmann Program the Buda Castle and the Castle Garden Bazaar; the Chain Bridge, the Hungarian State Opera House, the Academy of Music, the Museum of Fine Arts, the palaces on Andrassy Avenue, and in the buffer zone as part of the Liget Budapest Project new buildings are being constructed). These developments significantly improve the conditions for hosting guests, thereby appealing to upscale demand.
Museum of Fine Arts – Source: flickr.com – Photo: ODPictures Art Studio
In our next series, we will present the results of tourism developments in Budapest’s World Heritage Sites over the past decade.
In the spring of 2020, the Várkapitányság Nonprofit Zrt.. completed the building of the Main Guard Station in the Hunyadi Courtyard of the Buda Castle. The building also fulfills functions previously missing from the Castle: it houses a restaurant, exhibition and event spaces. The Riding Hall (Lovarda) was opened in the second half of 2021 as a multifunctional event hall and has since been used for conferences and cultural events.
On August 20, 2021, the St. Stephen’s Day national holiday, the first reconstructed, ornate historical room of the Royal Palace of the Buda Castle, the St. Stephen Hall (Szent István- termet), was opened to visitors. The sights and the exhibition that goes along with it are housed in the southern connecting wing, which has also been restored and is now back to its turn-of-the-century look. Reconstruction specialists and craftsmen have been working for years to show the Royal Palace of the Buda Castle to the public in a way that is identical to the original. The reborn St Stephen’s Hall and its accompanying exhibition can be visited with a personal guided tour or via an app running on a tablet. By the end of 2023, more than 200,000 people had visited the site and its exhibition.
Halászbástya – Forrás: flickr.com – Fotó: Giovanni Pilone
After the Main Guard building and St. Stephen’s Hall, new elements of the renovation of the Buda Castle have been completed: the restored Riding Hall is now open to the public, and the Csikós Courtyard has regained its Hauszmann-era connection with the Royal Palace of the Buda Castle.
The Riding Hall building was also built based on the plans of Alajos Hauszmann between 1899 and 1902, and the famous masters of the time worked on it. After sustaining damage in the Second World War, the building could have been restored, but was demolished in 1950. After landscaping and making its surroundings accessible, it opened as a multifunctional event space in 2021.
In 2022, the reconstruction of the Csikós Courtyard was also completed. Many steps have been taken to facilitate barrier-free access to the Buda Castle District including the reconstruction of the Hauszmann ramp, renovation of the Ybl retaining wall, two high-capacity elevators and the new elevators built in the Royal Palace of the Buda Castle. In addition, the Stöckl Staircase, the country’s most historic staircase, has been rebuilt. The reconstruction of Karakas Pasha’s tower has also been completed, just as the Mace Tower (Buzogánytorony) will have a new appearance and renewed functions after the renovation.
The source:
Tőzsér Anett (2024): A budapesti világörökségi helyszínek fenntartható turisztikai hasznosítása és nemzetstratégiai jelentősége: Kutatási Jelentés. Budapest: Nemzetstratégiai Kutatóintézet, 92 p. Elérés
Photos:
Budai Vár – Forrás: vilagorokseg.e-epites.hu – Fotó: Kárász Karolina
Halászbástya és a Duna-parti panoráma – Forrás: pixabay.com
Hősök tere – Forrás: piyabay.com – Fotó: Annamária Serflek
Lánchíd -Forrás: pixabay.com – Fotó Nagy Gyöngyi
Hauszmann-féle rámpa – Fotó: Simon Andrea
Budapesti Néprajzi Múzeum – Forrás: wikipedia.orgFotó: Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs
Halászbástya – Forrás: flickr.com – Fotó: Giovanni Pilone
Magyar Zene Háza – Forrás: flickr.com – Fotó: Franck Gacel
Stöckl lépcső – Forrás: pestbuda.hu – Fotó: MTI/Soós Lajos
A Csikós-udvart és a Hunyadi-udvart összekötő Hauszmann-féle rámpa – Forrás: Nemzeti Hauszmann Program / Facebook
Szent István-terem – Forrás: pestbuda.hu – Fotó: Várkapitányság
Várkert Bazár – Forrás: vilagorokseg.e-epites.hu – Fotó: Kárász Karolina
Lovarda a Hauszmann-féle rámpáról – Fotó: Simon Andrea
Karakas pasa tornya – Forrás: pestbuda.hu – Fotó: MTI / Kovács Tamás
Lovarda – Forrás: pestbuda.hu – Fotó: MTI/Soós Lajos
Szépművészeti Múzeum – Forrás: flickr.com – Fotó: ODPictures Art Studio
