PHOTOS: Stunning palace being rebuilt in Buda Castle

“We have placed the bushwalking tree on the roof of the reborn Archduke Joseph’s Palace!”, the Castle District responsible for the renovation and reconstruction works in Buda Castle announced on the National Hauszmann Programme’s Facebook page.

Habsburg was also present at the inauguration

For the third time in a year, a bushwalking celebration was held in the renewed Buda Castle district, the post says. As part of the National Hauszmann Programme, the structure of the Archduke Joseph Palace on Szent György Square has reached its highest point, following the reconstruction of the Red Cross headquarters on Dísz Square and the former Hungarian Army Headquarters. At the event, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén welcomed the members of the Habsburg family. In his speech, Government Commissioner Gergely Fodor stressed that “the plans that were still on the drawing board a few years ago have now become reality, and the palace district is looking more and more like the wonderful district that Hauszmann and his contemporaries once created.”

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The head of the Castle Police thanked the professionals working on the construction and reminded the audience that “the palace of Archduke Joseph, like many other buildings, was damaged in the Second World War, and could have been restored, but no attempt was made. It was first used as a workers’ hostel, then burnt down and demolished 55 years ago.”

The Government Commissioner called the bush festival a special occasion. “It is special because we welcome the former and future occupants of the building into our circle: Michael of Habsburg-Lotharingia, the great-grandson of Archduke Joseph, whose christening was held in the original palace, and Dr Tamás Sulyok, President of the Constitutional Court, under whose leadership the Chamber of Deputies will soon be settling in the rebuilt palace.

Here’s a visual of what it will look like when it’s finished:

Palace of Archduke Joseph Photo: Nemzeti Hauszmann Program

The new palace will be dazzling

“I am confident that the new building will be to your satisfaction, and visitors will enjoy the palace gardens and the former stables, which are also being reborn,” concluded Gergely Fodor. As is customary, an ornate bush walnut tree was placed at the highest point of the palace structure, on which Gergely Fodor, Government Commissioner, László Oravecz, Deputy Chief Technical Officer of Hungarian Construction Ltd, Royal Archduke Mihály of Habsburg-Lotharingia and Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of the Constitutional Court, each tied a ribbon in national colours.

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Archduke Joseph’s palace was built in 1906, based on the plans of architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, and rebuilt from the former Teleki Palace. The building was rebuilt in the same style as the original historicist palace, with interiors that meet the requirements of the present day, writes Hello Magyar.

Here are the pictures:

And a video of how Archduke Joseph’s great-grandson Michael of Habsburg-Lotharingia, the former owner of the palace, views the reconstruction of the former family nest:

Finally, some photos of the palace from March: