Minister for Human Resources promises museums for 21st century in City Park

Budapest, March 3 (MTI) – New museums planned to be built as part of the Liget Budapest project in the City Park are expected to contribute 21st-century features to the city’s architecture but will also treat the city’s historical heritage with respect, Minister for Human Resources Zoltan Balog said today.

Six museums will be set up in five buildings, including the New National Gallery and Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Ethnography, the House of Hungarian Music, the PhotoMuseum Budapest and the Hungarian Architecture Museum along the Dozsa Gyorgy thoroughfare.

Four tenders were invited for the project on Feb. 27, he said. Such large-scale international tenders have not been invited in Hungary for more than one hundred years, he added.

An eleven-member international jury will announce the results of the tenders in December, and the museums are planned to be completed at a total cost of 75 billion forints (EUR 240m) by 2018, he said.

Laszlo Baan, government commissioner and director-general of the Museum of Fine Arts, said that the Liget Budapest project, involving the revamp of the entire City Park, would cost 150 billion forints. In addition to the five museums, a new state-of-the-art circus will be built, the zoo will be significantly expanded, the lakes and green areas of the park will be modernised. Additionally, a new science and entertainment centre for children will be built and the Museum of Transport will be revamped and expanded.

Liget Budapest is expected to attract an additional 1 million tourists to Budapest, so the investment will return relatively soon, Baan said. In addition to using public monies, talks are under way with OTP Bank about financing one of the new museum buildings, he added.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters