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.
These figures included a mix of biblical, mythological, and Hungarian heroic characters, such as Judith and David, Minerva and Mars, as well as Miklós Toldi and Katica Dobó. Above the main entrance’s carriageway stood Hungary’s historical middle coat of arms, surrounded by a wreath of laurel and oak branches. On either side of the coat of arms, the façade was embellished with ornate wrought-iron wall lanterns.
The Honvéd General Headquarters, designed by Mór Kallina, was connected to the former Ministry of Defence. Though both buildings sustained serious but not fatal damage during World War II, restoration never took place. Under communist rule, the General Headquarters was deliberately dismantled to the first floor for ideological reasons, while the Ministry building was gradually and completely demolished.
Once rebuilt, the Honvéd General Headquarters will be open to visitors of the Buda Castle Palace District. It will serve as the new home of the Institute and Museum of Military History and will include an observation deck in its dome.
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