Buda Castle’s Turul statue flew away – PHOTOS, VIDEO

Turul statue taken down for renovation work - origo.hu

The turul statue, a symbol of Hungarians, standing on the top of the Buda Castle did not actually fly away, of course; it was removed for restoration works.

Due to its run-down condition, the turul statue was removed by a massive crane so that experts can do their magic and restore it into its original glory in their open-air restorer workshop set up on Savoyai terrace, as reported origo.hu.

In the upcoming months, those visiting the Castle, once the home of Hungarian Queen Sisi, can take a look at the recovery works. The statue, which has been towering above the Hungarian capital for almost 120 years, is one of the most outstanding parts of the Palace district of the Buda Castle.

The work of art of Gyula Balog was erected in 1905 during the 100^th anniversary of the Palace’s construction,

on the corner of the ornamented fence of the Habsburg Gate.

The Turul statue flies away for its renovation works – MTI/Mihádák Zoltán

The enormous bronze monument holds a sword in its claws while looking towards the Danube with its wings wide open, ready to fly at any second. The statue representing the legendary bird featured in Hungarian mythology is a considerable work just by its size in itself:

it is 10.5 metres tall, the distance between its open wings reaches 12.5 metres.

Its stone pedestal is decorated with Hungary’s crest.

photo: MTI/Mihádák Zoltán

The bird survived the Second World War, though with several damages, for which smaller and bigger corrections and maintenance works were necessary. However, its condition has deteriorated significantly since then, so complete reconstruction will be carried out under the National Hauszmann Programme.

As in the case of the recently restored bronze statues of the Mátyás well, experts will conclude restorer and polishing works to preserve the patina layer. All damages on the surface will be corrected, and the statue’s inner iron case will be strengthened.

Works will be carried out in an open-air workshop on the Savoyai terrace

before carrying the country’s symbol, in its brand new glory, back to its home.

The Habsburg Gate situated right next to the statue, the ornamented fence and the stairs belonging to them unfortunately also suffered severe damage in WWII. Reparation works were done on them in the 1980s; however, the last decades have left their mark. Their complete renovation work has become absolutely necessary due to the deterioration of their condition. Stone elements of the Habsburg Gate will be cleaned, its cracks will be filled and fixed and last, but not least, its wrought-iron structure will be completely renovated.

During the reconstruction works, walking through the Habsburg Gate and the Terrace of the Fishing Children, unfortunately, will not be possible, for which a temporary pavement will be built to enable anyone interested in taking a glimpse at the works to reach the Savoyai terrace.