Hungarian coronation regalia in peril, immediate replacement required

The cooling system of the glass inert gas vault of Hungary’s coronation regalia in the Hungarian Parliament went off. As a result, the device is no longer capable of keeping the compulsory humidity and temperature, so the coronation regalia can be damaged. Therefore, immediate replacement is needed. However, it will not be cheap.

Hungarian coronation regalia in peril

There are five Hungarian coronation regalia kept separately in Budapest. If you want to get a glimpse of the Holy Crown, the sceptre, the coronation sword or the orb, you have to visit the Hungarian Parliament. They are all kept under the iconic dome, in the Dome Hall, under 24/7 protection by special guards. If you want to see how the coronation mantle looks, you should go to the National Museum of Hungary. We covered in THIS article that the only authentic image of Saint Stephen is on that mantle.

The main staircase of the Hungarian Parliament leading to the Dome Hall where the Holy Crown, the sceptre, the orb and the coronation sword can are kept:

Hungary does not want to protect these regalia only from bad guys or lunatics but also from time, humidity, extreme temperatures, etc. Therefore, the Hungarian government ordered a special glass inert gas (nitrogen) vault in 2000 from Germany and placed the coronation regalia under it in the Parliament. Árpád Habony told RTL Klub that the protection system was unique, similar systems were only in use in the United Kingdom.

According to hvg.hu, the cooling system of the bulletproof, earthquake-resistant device went wrong. As a result, it cannot provide the compulsory 20 +/- 2 °C temperature and 40% humidity, because both the primary and the replacement systems broke down. Without those systems, the coronation regalia cannot be saved from oxidation and other types of deterioration.

The Holy Crown and crowning jewels in the Parliament. Photo: Facebook, Országház

New glass inert atmosphere vault ordered from Germany

The German producer, Glasbau Hahn GmbH, said the restoration of the glass would take 8-10 weeks, but they could only place the coronation regalia in a temporary store device in which temperature and humidity cannot be set.

The Szent Korona Testület (Holy Crown College) in which, among others, the president, the prime minister, the heads of the Supreme Court and the Hungarian Academy of Science are members, decided to order a new glass inert gas vault.

Hvg.hu asked how much the project will cost and whether tourists will be able to see the crown regalia even in the interim period but has not received an answer yet.

Interestingly, László L. Simon, a former Fidesz MP, secretary of state and director of the Hungarian National Museum, proposed transferring the crown to Buda Castle.

Read also:

• 6th of January 1978: the return of the Holy Crown to Hungary – read more HERE
• Get to know the national symbols of Hungary!