PHOTOS: Original decorative statues of Buda Castle’s iconic building being restored

Restoration work on the façade of the Honvéd General Headquarters facing Szent György Square in the Buda Castle is progressing according to plan, as part of the National Hauszmann Program. Experts are crafting models for statues, reliefs, and ornamentations, while also installing the limestone base and ashlar blocks. Next, construction will move to the upper levels of the façade.

The southern side of the Honvéd General Headquarters recalls the former Ministry of Defence building, faithfully restoring its original decorative elements. The richly ornate main façade of the former Ministry, facing Szent György Square, featured a distinctive central structure known as a double central risalit—an architectural projection extending from the main façade.

The upper part of this projection was crowned by a closed attic, a decorative wall strip above the cornice, which was adorned with four classical military trophies: two featuring crossed weapons and two modelled after Roman armour. Four reliefs portraying the Hungarian Holy Crown also appeared on the front and side surfaces of the attic, each encircled by a wreath woven from laurel and oak branches.

Originally, statues of four prominent military leaders lined the third-floor cornice, from left to right: Grand Prince Árpád, János Hunyadi, Miklós Zrínyi, and János Pálffy. Sculptural figures placed in the spandrels above the arched openings of the second floor depicted two figures per window.