A fantastic and unique video was revealed about the details and vision of the Buda Castle District which is going to be renovated soon.
PestBuda reported that as part of the National Hauszmann Programme, ten new features are mentioned as the main elements of the reconstruction of the Castle District. Some of them are already done, and there are others which will be completed shortly. Octogon also reported the details about these projects. According to their writing the program. Several attractions of the castle district will be or are already renovated including the Karmelita buildings, Matthias fountain and many others. Daily News Hungary also reported about the starting renovation process.
Along with the renovation of these elements of the district, the destroyed building will also be renovated along with the Buda Castle to make every possible step to change it into a better condition and to make the destructive signs of history disappear. These construction works include several rooms and halls of the building.
The Honved High Command building on Dísz Square will also get a brand-new look soon and other extra features like modern touristic and cultural functions, panorama level and an exhibition hall. Alongside this building, the old Foreign Office building and the József Archduke Castle will also be restored.
The final part of the project is to renovate several small and big gardens of the Castle District.
CLICK HERE to find out nine things you might want to know about the Buda Castle
Many started different kinds of architectural projects on the south coast of Lake Balaton. It seems that the capital’s hotel tsunami started to affect the Hungarians sea as well, and the development is supported by the government.
Portfolió reported that the Hungarian hotel business started to conquer Lake Balaton and in 1–2 years, approximately 400 new rooms will be available for guests. This amount of increase is definitely not the end, as Hungarian tourism keeps developing day by day. On the other hand, several governmental support will make it possible to build new buildings around the lake and to awaken the hotel business from its dream.
By 2030, the government would invest 300 billion HUF (900 million EUR) into building hotels and accommodations around Lake Balaton, but the lack of professional workers is still an obstacle.
Balatonfüred on the northern coast is definitely the capital of the Balaton region. The diamond of the lake made significant progress in health tourism and accommodations building new four-star hotels and wellness centres. Another hotel is being built and set to be opened next year. In other regions, like Tihany castle hotels, wine hotels and different exciting places are waiting for the arriving guests.
In Balatonudvari, a golf hotel is planned to be built.
On the south coast of Lake Balaton, the biggest investments happened in the town of Szántód where a 104 roomed apartment is being built. In Siófok other investments are planned to be started soon but only to be finished by 2021. In recent years mostly hotels and health tourism were on the tray to invest in, but it is expected that conventional tourism and high-classes tourism is going to be significantly separated from each other soon.
Those who are looking for luxury have an opportunity to stay in a special yacht hotel in Siófok. Similar hotels are planned to be built in Fonyód and Balatonfenyves.
CLICK HERE for six “delicious” places you should visit at Lake Balaton!
Hungarian architecture is, without a doubt, unique in its character and atmosphere. There are many wonderful, memorable buildings scattered across the country – let us see how many you can recognise.
Femcafe has put together a quiz to test how many of these iconic buildings you remember or have seen.
Featured image: Basilica of Esztergom, Wikimedia Commons by Gábor Bejó
We all know how Turkish people spent over a hundred and fifty years in Hungary in the 16-17th centuries, how the southern parts of the once medieval Kingdom of Hungary were under Ottoman rule and how they even took over Buda in 1541. The two cultures obviously had to mingle during those long decades.
During the Turks’ 15-decade-long stay in Hungary, they built many schools, mosques, baths, bridges, fountains, a few of which are still well intact, mostly in southern Hungary, while others were destroyed after the Ottoman conquest had finally left the country.
Photo: Tamás Thaler / Wikimedia Commons
But architecture was not the only thing they influenced. Because there were many battles during they conquest of Hungary, the Hungarian population was stagnating, many tried to flee to territories not ruled by the Turkish, most Christians escaped to “Royal Hungary” led by the Habsburgs, so the Christian population of the country significantly decreased. Although, Ottomans were tolerant in terms of religion, Christianity was not prohibited.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The decline in Hungarian population was not only because of wars and moving elsewhere out of fear, it was also down to Ottoman raids, as well as diseases, such as the plague, and food shortage.
Now to some of the more positive things that the Turks gifted us with. Coffee. Before the Ottoman conquest, we did not have coffee. But by the 20th century, multiple coffee houses opened up, and it became a very important part of our day-to-day life and the social scene as well. Even today, how many times do you hear the question: “Hey, want to grab a coffee sometime?” Or something along those lines, when friends are planning on meeting up.
Another thing we all still enjoy are baths. Our capitol, Budapest, has 123 baths alone, four of which remain from the Ottoman rule: the Kiraly, the Rácz Bath, the Rudas and the Veli Bej Spa.
Read more about the history of Turkish baths in Hungary HERE.
Turkish and Hungarian also share many words, but that really is no surprise after spending 150 years together. But do they still have the same meanings, or have they changed since we parted ways a couple hundred years ago?
A Hungarian and a Turkish girl, Petra and Müge, sat down together to find out in a YouTube video.
Some words still have related meanings, for example “varos” means “town/city” in Hungarian, while in Turkish it means “ghetto.” Some have the exact same meaning such as “balta,” which means “axe” in both languages. And some mean the complete opposite, “gebe” in Turkish means “pregnant,” but in Hungarian it means “skinny” or a “thin horse.”
It is known for a while that proposals for three brand new “superhospitals” to be built in Budapest were submitted. We seem to know a little bit more about the first superhospital, which will be built in District XI.
Daily News Hungary first reported about the new superhospitals in 2017.
Developing the healthcare facilities of Budapest is due for a long time, as three-fourth of the hospitals in Budapest were built before 1980, almost third of them in the 1800s.
Magyarorszagom.hu reports that the first superhospital to be built in District XI, Dobogó will be much more than a 1200-bed modern hospital, as it will function as a “health mall” with restaurants, shops, a post office, and hairdressers. And of course free wifi. The main aim of the designers is to make the patients feel at home, as much as it is possible in a healthcare facility.
As we have reported earlier, according to the original plans, every ward of the clinic of Kútvölgyi Street, the children’s hospitals in Tűzoltó Street and Bókay Street, and one of the women’s clinics would be moved to the new hospital. Moreover, the trauma surgery, neurosurgery, maternity and gynaecology wards, the neurology ward, the children’s ward and the neonatal intensive care unit of Szent János Hospital will also be relocated to the new hospital block.
Szent János Hospital is to become a place for chronic care and rehabilitation with 300 beds, following the renovation of the necessary buildings. The outpatient care units would be moved to a separate building in Kútvölgyi Street, a big step forward for the locals since currently the outpatient care occupies the same building, often even the same corridor as inpatient care wards, posing a risk for infections.
Three superhospitals are planned to be built by 2023.
The topmost floor of the 120metre-tall building will be occupied by a rooftop terrace, while the two floors below it will be turned into a community space.
The foundation stone of MOL’s new headquarters in southern Budapest was laid down last autumn. This building will be the most prominent piece of the new city quarter near Kopaszi dam. The 86-thousand-square-metre-large building will be finished by 2020, able to employ 2500 people.
The plans for MOL Campus were drafted by Foster + Partners, an internationally renowned London-based architecture company, along with the Hungarian FintaStúdió.
Péter Ratatics, the managing director of MOL Magyarország, told Magyar Építők that the goal is to create a building that is not only an office complex but also a modern place for creation and a creative environment.
The company aims to create the most innovative workplace possible in Hungary, while providing an inspiring, inviting workplace for young people.
KINZO, a Berlin-based interior design company, was responsible for creating the best interior. The company found it important to create a workspace that is personal and employee-focused and also aids MOL in achieving their strategic goals, thus making sure that work is running smoothly. Co-working gets a new meaning with the special office areas that KINZO designed.
The offices will follow the Activity-based Workplace (ABW) model, which means that an employee can choose their own work setting (and change it anytime) based on the task that they are carrying out.
In the tower, triplets will be installed, where the different sections will occupy the triplets either on their own or co-joined, depending on their size. The ABW model is in operation here too. There will be larger, community workspaces where people can work on projects together.
In addition, there will be a “library” – a silent workspace; a “garden” – with lots of plants; and a panoramic Skylab.
Thanks to the large glass surfaces, workspaces will be lit up by 90% natural light. Power will be generated partly by solar panels, while recycled or locally produced materials will be used for 10% of the interior.
Although MOL Campus will be used by MOL primarily, the lookout terrace can be accessed by the public.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation released a report on 21 June 2019 about world heritage locations, upcoming projects, and their concerns and opinions regarding these future plans. The report includes the Hungarian capital as well, emphasising the situation about the futuristic MOL Tower and Liget Project in the City Park.
The report includes the efforts and plans about protecting Budapest’s world heritage sights: the coast of the Danube, City Park, Andrássy Avenue, and the Castle District of Buda – reports HVG. Although some steps forward happened, UNESCO believes that there is a severe lack of important procedures. For example, there is no one representative of the projects undertaken on these world heritage sights, and there is no complex plan about improving the Hungarian capital.
According to the report, the Hauszmann-plan – in the Castle District – includes renovations and building new objects which are dangerous and have high risks.
“It is recommended that the Committee express its concern regarding the lack of an appropriate approach for the ongoing and proposed works being undertaken as part of the Hauszmann Plan for the Buda Castle Quarter which involves substantial reconstruction and new construction of the Royal Palace and adjoining civic district and represents a specific and imminent threat. The general policy to reconstruct buildings or parts that have been destroyed during World War II or in the Communist period in order to recover an idealised older history is leading to an important and cumulative loss of authenticity of the property” (WHC Add 3, p. 6).
The report focuses on the plans of the Museum of Ethnography planned to be built in City Park. They believe that the project should be halted as soon as possible, but the project, to UNESCO’s disappointment, had not been stopped. The same concerns and points were written down about the Biodome as well.
“New stricter regulations were introduced in July 2018 that require buildings higher than 65 metres to receive the planning council’s approval on the ‘architectural and technical plan documentation’. However, it is clearly stated that the permission for the MOL building cannot be reversed. A detailed study of the impact of high-rise buildings on OUV of the property is planned for District 11” (WHC Add 3, p. 6).
Photo: www.pinterest.com
The report expresses the concerns about other ongoing projects in the capital, such as “reconstruction works ongoing in the property and buffer zone for which the World Heritage Centre had no previous information, including a demolition at 52 Paulay Ede Street and a renovation of the Opera house” (WHC Add 3, p. 6).
The Committee required the Hungarian state to stop the projects which would have a negative impact on world heritage sights and to work on a complex plan about how to preserve the city’s view if these buildings and objects are born in the future.
The UNESCO Committee also required a full report until February 1, 2020, from Hungary to sum up the possible solutions for their concerns.
Eur.ope’s most complex playground in the City Park of Budapest welcomes children and adults as well from this autumn. After the landscaping process, architects and designers started to fill up the playground with more than fifty unique toys and extraordinary features.
Daily News Hungary reported before that the next phase of the Liget Budapest Project was to focus on family-friendly additions. Hungary’s biggest and most modern playground would be built in City Park, on a designated area of over 13 thousand square metres. Located on the south-eastern part of the park, the playground would be secure and available for children and families from autumn 2019.
Photo: MTI
According to Benedek Gyorgyevics, director of the Liget Budapest Project, the project has reached its next phase, which is installing more than fifty unique toys and other features on the playground – reports turizmus.com. The playground will feature unique slides, swings and other adventurous tools for every generation on an overall 13,000 square metres.
In details, the playground will feature fourteen different swings and carousels, three slide systems, six unique monkey bars, water games, sandpits, trampolines, interactive musical toys activated by movements, and seven special spiral toys. Moreover, these toys will be categorized into different generations which means that from youngsters to adults everyone will find
The centrepiece of the playground will be a multi-level climbing frame inspired by a painting of Pál Szinyei Merse, portraying a hot-air balloon. This also helps with the art education of children, encouraging artistic associations.
The secured playground will be located in the City Park next to Dózsa György Road and Ajtósi Dürer Sor. In 2019, seven new playgrounds will be built in the park to make it friendlier for families. In autumn, this brand-new complex playground will be opened for the public.
Featured image: MTI
The most modern science playground in the world opens in Budapest
Demolishing the overpass on Nyugati Square (next to Nyugati Railway Station) has been on the capital’s schedule for a long time. The council overseeing all the improvements in Budapest finally made a decision which is to demolish the old overpass as soon as possible as it is “repulsive and ruins the view”.
According to pestbuda.hu, the council made its final decision on May 14, and the plans about demolishing were announced on Kossuth Radio by the mayor of Budapest, István Tarlós. The iconic overpass in the middle of the city was completed on November 10, 1981, but the idea was actually born in the 1960s and 1970s when the leadership of the capital planned to flood the transportation-developed Budapest with these overpasses to make getting to one point of the city from another quicker and easier. The same idea was actualised in front of the Keleti Railway Station as well.
Keleti Railway Station to be closed for two weeks
Due to maintenance works, Budapest Keleti Railway Station will be closed for two weeks, which will affect several train routes, schedules and terminals. Between May 13 and 26, the rail tracks will be renovated and the entire hall will get a unified asphalt pavement
The idea of building an overpass on Nyugati Square was based on the fact that the north-south underground line (Metro Line 3) was completed in the 1970s. Because of the newly built underground the capital dissolved the tram line next to Nyugati Railway Station and Nyugati Square and decided to make traveling by car easier in that part of the city with an overpass without any traffic lamps to slow down the traffic.
Photo: www.facebook.com/szocializmushagyateka
The construction of the overpass on Nyugati Square (in the 1980s: Marx Square) started in 1980 and was completed by 1981. Besides the road for cars, an additional pedestrian line was added to the plans to reach the Skála Metró, which used to be a supermarket in the 80s, and to connect the bus station on Nyugati Square with pedestrians and with the overpass. This pedestrian zone was demolished completely in 2017.
What is the problem with the overpass?
Regarding its construction and condition, the overpass is safe and has been reconstructed several times. On the other hand, many people believe that it ruins the city’s view and there are many demands to “put the traffic back on the ground” and to avoid the city centre from cars and vehicles; only to be given for people and cyclists. Although, the procedure of demolishing the overpass will be complicated because it is hard to stop the city’s transportation even for one second.
As Nyugati Square and Nyugati Railway Station are important junctions in Budapest, tram line 4 and 6 cannot stop while architects prepare to demolish the overpass. Once it is completed, the whole transportation system in the city centre will have to be rearranged.
After causing serious damage in the world’s most well-known historical building, the 29-year-old Hungarian man was arrested by the Italian authorities.
Blikk reported that an Italian newspaper got the information about the incident, emphasising that this was not the first time when a tourist got caught damaging the Colosseum. This Hungarian man hewed a 10-centimetre-tall letter “T” into the building’s ancient wall with his hotel room card. The man was immediately taken to the local police station where he was charged with damaging a building part of the national cultural heritage.
According to the Italian newspaper, the man was unaware of the fact that he did something wrong because many other descriptions and letters can be seen on the walls of the Colosseum.
The Hungarian tourist can return to Hungary, but the police will make the necessary arrangements and procedures to judge his case. However, the punishment itself will only happen if he returns to Italy again. Abroad, the Italian authorities only have the right to sentence someone if the crime is severe enough.
The Hungarian man’s vandalism was the third in the last few days. On April 29, a Bulgarian boy also hewed the letters of his name in the wall; three days before this incident, an Israeli woman did the same with the names of her family members.
To avoid similar incidents in the future, the directorship of the Colosseum created a brand-new security protocol in a few hours, including the plans of installing more cameras and hiring more guards in the building. As an immediate step, the Colosseum’s sound system warns tourists in six different languages that damaging the building is strictly forbidden.
Besides these procedures, the Roman Government plans to create a “blacklist” about tourists who damaged the Colosseum. The names on the blacklist would be sent to the embassies, asking the tourists’ governments not to allow them into the Italian capital again.
CARDINAL ERDŐ PRESENTS IEC2020 PROGRAMME IN ROME
Budapest will host the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress (ICE2020) next year, with a week-long programme focusing on solidarity and friendship between nations, Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, said on Monday after presenting the programme in Vatican City.
Two years ago the Paris Court was closed for renovation, and it seems that the finishing touches are now being applied. The Paris Court Hotel Budapest will reopen soon as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand.
Mellow Mood Hotels has not seen a day without an ongoing hotel project, writes the tourism website. Now, they have announced that they are about to commence a new project involving the designing of a hotel with 180 rooms and lots of room for conferences. The hotel will be built in Paulay Ede Street in the 6th district.
However, the Paris Court Hotel Budapest might be the most significant out of all their projects, as the whole of Budapest is making sure everything runs smoothly, not just the tourism and hotel departments.
This development marks the return of Hyatt to Budapest, as the Paris Court Hotel Budapest will open as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. The Unbound Collection focuses on the renovation of special and valuable historic buildings. As we wrote previously, the hotel will be the second European member of the chain.
Paris Court is one of the jewels of Budapest; it has been the subject of admiration for over a century now. The most iconic elements of it, like the shopping passageway, the glass cupola over the passage that looks like the sun is shining through it all the time or the Zsolnay ceramics are all kept and open for the public.
Since the original plans and records from archives are still available, the building – which was in poor shape – was reconstructed following these plans.
The following video gives us a tease of what the interior of this magnificent building under historic preservation will look like after the detailed renovation work is done by the restorers, allowing us to see for the first time the façade covered in 250 thousand pieces of Zsolnay ceramics and the glass surfaces designed by Miksa Róth.
Out of 13 billion HUF (39 million EUR), the biggest church of Hungary is going to be fully renovated. The urgent reconstruction works already started, but the Basilica will get its brand-new look in four years.
[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/reconstruction-of-the-chain-bridge-and-buda-castle-tunnel-starts-in-october/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Reconstruction of the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle Tunnel to start this October [/button]
According to turizmus.com, reconstruction works include the full renovation of the Basilica’s north aisle and an establishment of an elevator for disabled people to reach the treasury and the panorama level of the building.
The renovation of the main entrance and its environment starts this year including the porticus, stairs and the tympanum over the entrance. These reconstruction works must be done by 2020 as the Basilica gives place for the International Eucharistic Conference.
At the end of 2019, the reconstruction of the roof and the more than ten-metre-high indoor rooms start. In the last section, smaller works will be done inside the building and smaller restorations on its relics. The Basilica’s reconstruction is estimated to be completed by 2022. During the construction works, the Basilica remains open to the public.
The renovation of the building became inevitable in 2016 when the dome’s ornaments started to fall off, and it became dangerous to stand below them. Also, experts examined every wall carefully to determine how critical their condition was. Pictures and several examinations stated that the walls and the dome must be renovated as soon as possible because several structural elements could fall down any time.
Architects also had to install a special protector-net under the dome to prevent accidents. This net is 100% safe and reliable.
The Basilica of Esztergom was renovated after World War II and during the 1970s. In 1993, the whole roof structure was replaced. Three years ago, the government provided 1,6 billion HUF (5 million EUR) for the renovation of the building, but it turned out not to be enough. In 2018, experts made the full reconstruction plan for the Basilica and estimated a price of 13 billion HUF (39 million EUR) which would be enough for every necessary and urgent construction work.
Read more about the Basilica of Esztergom!
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According to the Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre’s report, the reconstruction works of the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle Tunnel are going to start this autumn between October and November and finish in the spring of 2021.
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PestBuda reported that the reconstruction works have two major parts. First, the tunnel of tram line 2 and its surface will be renovated. In the second part, architects start the renovation of the Buda Castle Tunnel, Ádám Clark Square and the bridge itself. Every single part of the bridge will be renovated or renewed, including the road, sidewalks, structural elements, lighting and the stone lions as well.
Experts stated that the traffic on the bridge remains after the reconstruction works end.
The capital’s oldest bridge will get wider sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and pedestrian underpasses as well. On the Pest side, tram stations Széchenyi Square and Eötvös Square will also be renovated. New and environmentally-friendly LED lamps will be installed which, besides the regular lighting, will be able to use different colours on national holidays and celebrations.
The Buda Castle Tunnel will receive the same LED technology besides the renovated and broadened sidewalks and a brand-new bicycle zone.
Part of this investment is to examine the condition of the quay near Vigadó Square and to create a modern and stunning square to bring the community together and to harmonise Budapest with the Danube.
The Castle Garden Kiosk (Várkert Kioszk) is an elegant, marvellous building that was built in the same era as the Castle Garden Bazaar (Várkert Bazár), yet we know less about it. The kiosk’s history and original function are really interesting. Recently, it went through a major renovation; here are the results.
Pestbuda wrote about the renovated Castle Garden Kiosk that shines in its new form. The kiosk was built between 1875 and 1882 based on the plans of Miklós Ybl. He was the architect of St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Hungarian State Opera, the Castle Garden Bazaar and many more buildings in the countryside and in Budapest, too.
The Kiosk, with the Parliament Building in the background facebook.com/YblBudaiKreativHaz
Its architectural style is historicism with Florentine Renaissance elements, just like the Castle Garden Bazaar. Despite the kiosk’s wonderful look, it was not made for an entertainment centre. Instead, this building included the royal palace’s building and gardens as well as its stable and the pump house.
Loggia
One of the most beautiful parts of the building is the loggia. The half-open, arcade-like arches of the entrance hall are covered with sgrafitto designs. The renovated sgraffito is heavenly, thanks to Róbert Scholtz’s renovation work in 2017.
Castle Garden Loggia, renovated in 2017 budaikreativhaz.hu
The loggia is heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer, but it still gives the impression of sitting outside in the fresh air.
Café
Entering the building, we arrive at the café’s monumental area, which resembles the atmosphere of the former Castle Garden Kiosk. The new colours and furniture really “lighten” the room, which is centred around the huge bar counter. Its equipment is modern, but it also carries classic elements.
Castle Garden kiosk café source: youtube.com
Aqua Exhibition Space
The heart of the pump house designed by Ybl was the boiler room, which has now become a sparkling modern exhibition and event room. During the renovation, they formed a clean, fresh, crowded space that could perfectly serve as a venue for all kinds of events.
Aqua Exhibition Space, Eszter Csurka: “Our times” exhibition facebook.com/YblBudaiKreativHaz
Kovásznai Salon
The Aqua Exhibition Hall on the Danube side has a cosy gallery. This space was once the home of the master of steam engines and the maid’s room. Today, the walls are decorated with expressive, vibrant images from painter György Kovásznai. This is the origin of the hall’s name, which is a tribute to the work of the excellent artist. Looking at the glass windows of the Kovásznai Salon, you can also look at the exhibition in the Aqua Exhibition Space from a special perspective.
Kovasznai Salon, facebook.com/YblBudaiKreativHaz
Terra exhibition room
It works not only as an exhibition space but also as a location for various events. In the vaulted rooms on the basement level, coal was once stored. The canals of underground loading tunnels and water purification tanks are here.
Miklós Ybl portrait at Terra exhibition room, facebook.com/YblBudaiKreativHaz
Hungary may be a small country in the heart of Europe, but Hungarians have certainly done a lot of significant things, on an international level as well. Many talented architects contributed, for example, to Budapest becoming a top tourist attraction with its amazing architecture. However, less attention is dedicated to those Hungarian-born architects who moved abroad for one reason or another but still created amazing masterpieces.
1. László Ede Hugyecz
László Ede Hugyecz, otherwise known as Ladislav Hudec, has Hungarian-Slovakian origins. He studied at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and graduated in 1914. Unfortunately, the first world war stopped his career in Hungary in its tracks, and he had to go to war. He ended up in Siberia where, luckily, his skills and knowledge allowed him to do serious architectural works as the country struggled with a shortage of skilled workers.
The Grand Theatre in Shanghai, now another iconic building, was also designed by László Hugyecz Hungarian-born architect Photo: facebook.com/monicacitywalk
In 1917, he contracted typhoid and had to get on a Red Cross train, but the war hindered the progression of the train. So, Hugyecz and a few others got off the train, and he ended up in Shanghai where he joined the team of an American architecture company. His knowledge of several different artistic trends made him a valued member of the company, although he later started his own business.
He designed numerous buildings in Shanghai that shaped the image of the city in the 20th century but that are still symbolic today. One of these is Shanghai’s very own Flatiron Building, usually referred to as the Normandie Apartments or the Wukang Mansion. Today, it is one of Shanghai’s symbolic buildings, and many celebrities choose to stay here when visiting the city. However, it also has a fascinating history, as in the 1960s and ’70s, locals called it ‘The Diving Board” because of the many suicides committed by intellectuals and others persecuted there as state enemies.
[button link=”#https://dailynewshungary.com/cnn-iconic-buildings-in-budapest-by-the-hungarian-gaudi/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] CNN: iconic buildings in Budapest designed by the ‘Hungarian Gaudi'[/button]
2. Emery Roth
Emery Roth was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in a town that now belongs to Slovakia. He was only 13 when his family emigrated to the United States. His architectural career started in Chicago, where he worked on the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. However, he later moved to New York, and his most famous works link him to the Big Apple.
Roth designed the famous Beresford overlooking Central Park. The building appears in many shots of the famous New York park and can boast of several famous guests, including singer Diana Ross, actress Glenn Close or tennis player John McEnroe.
Another iconic building designed by Roth is The Eldorado. This building was built in an art deco style and now serves as a luxury housing cooperative. Just like The Beresford, it also overlooks Central Park and thus dominates many photos capturing this gem of New York City. Numerous celebrities have lived here, including Alec Baldwin or Tuesday Weld.
3. Ernő Goldfinger
Ernő Goldfinger was born in Budapest but moved to the United Kingdom in the 1930s. He became a key figure of the Modernist architectural movement, even though his designs were initially rather unpopular among the public as well as other architects. Now, many of his residential tower blocks are listed buildings, and he also designed a number of school buildings and even a building on the Swansea University campus.
Balfron Tower was completed in 1967, designed in the Brutalist style of the ’60s. An interesting tidbit about it is that the elevator serves only every third floor (visible on the image above), so those living on the 4th or 5th floor, for example, have to walk a bit to get to their apartments. Goldfinger himself lived in the building for a while, and the building appeared in several movies and music videos, too, including the video for “Morning Glory” by Oasis, as well as the movie called “For Queen and Country”, starring Denzel Washington.
In memory of Goldfinger, there is a scholarship awarded to Hungarian architectural students to study, work and travel in the UK, strengthening the ties between Hungary and the United Kingdom, the two significant locations in Goldfinger’s life.
Budapest is often admired for its historic charm, and this is thanks to the lack of skyscrapers. If you have ever been to Budapest, you know how no buildings are reaching the height of 96 metres – except for two. The reason for this? History.
Even though the Hungarian capital city is full of architectural wonders, where historic buildings live peacefully next to modern business centres, you will not see a skyscraper in sight. The Culture Trip has summarised why buildings in Budapest cannot be taller than 96 metres.
If you hike up the Gellért Hill or take a walk up to the Buda Castle and look over the city, you will notice that almost all buildings stand at the same height – at any rate, they do not reach 96 metres, let alone tower above it. There are no ultramodern skyscrapers on the skyline; thus the historic appearance of the city is preserved.
The two tallest buildings that you will spot are about eight-stories high, precisely 96 metres in height: the Parliament and St. Stephen’s Basilica.
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
No other structures can overshadow these two symbolic buildings, which were finished almost at the same time. The Parliament was designed for celebrating the 1896 millennium of the Hungarian Conquest that took place in 896. This is the reason why 96 is such a magical and symbolic number in Hungarian history. Not only is the height of the parliament 96 metres, but this number appears at the main stairs leading to the cupola hall too, where the number of the steps is 96 sharp.
The Parliament was finally finished in 1904, and a year later St. Stephen’s Basilica too. This might be surprising as the Basilica has an ancient feel, tricking you into thinking that it was built in the 16th century. The Basilica stands at 96 metres too, this way these two iconic buildings, representing the government and religion, serve as a reminder for the nation that these entities are equal and it is important that they are respected similarly and that they respect each other as well.
St. Stephen’s Basilica photo: Daily News Hungary
The Culture Trip mentions that contemporary Hungarian society raised the question whether this regulation should be left in the past in the name of progress or should the uniformity of Budapest’s skyline, respecting the city’s and nation’s history be kept.
(Structures used for industrial purposes are allowed to be higher than 96 metres)
Is it possible to install the 21st century’s smartest inventions in Monor, located in Pest county? Allegedly, it is. The newest smart city projects have started in the town to turn Monor into Hungary and Pest County’s first smart town.
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Napi.hu reports that nowadays, people often see the term “smart city” on popular social media sites and the Internet, and that towns and cities need to become smart. The government also supports the smart city programme because last year, Viktor Orbán signed a contract about a smart city platform which would be tested in Monor.
Why was Monor chosen for testing? The city has approximately 18,500 residents and is one of the most significant cities in the county. It is also a critical junction point in the country and has developed a railway and bus system.
The majority of the city reported that the development of the project would start this year and will be finished by 2020.
The smart city programme includes the establishing of smart lamps which only light the roads, streets and sidewalks if they sense movement. If it does not, it will light the road with a much smoother light. Also, the city is planning to establish a smart bicycle route as well. Moreover, the city would like to launch a computer system which could control all the estates in Monor and save money for the local government.
The next investment is the smart public restroom in the centre of Monor which would send a text message to the local authorities if it senses freezing weather, lack of electricity and water, plugging or if someone is in danger.
At primary schools and grammar schools, parents could get rid of paying the finance of dining by checks. Instead, the programme would establish an app where, besides paying parents would also have the opportunity to disclaim that opportunity. Also, children arriving at and leaving from school would have to identify themselves through an electronic security system. This would ensure their safety as their parents would get a notification their children arrived or left the institution. The establishment of a smart classroom is also part of the project where children could learn on tablets and computers.
Investors also plan to turn the electronic identification card into a city card. With this card, people could use institutions with a discount (e.g. public library, swimming pool, etc.).
If everything goes as planned, the project would also like to establish the country’s smartest pedestrian zone: smart benches with phone chargers, wi-fi connection, pavilions, bicycle routes, and bicycle lockers. These lockers could be opened and closed by the city cards and if someone tries to steal it the most modern camera system alerts its owner immediately. A list of bicycle locks would be helpful for those still living in cities that are far from introducing this kind of technology. For a smart city, though, you can only expect sophisticated security equipment and people willing to be part of this technological evolution.
The government supports this project with approximately 2,5 billion HUF in 2019 (8 million EUR).
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Featured image: www.facebook.com/MonorHivatalosOldala
In general, 2018 was a significant year for Hungarian investments and constructions because no other year has shown this sharp increase in the number of construction works. Although in the second part of the year their number somewhat decreased, it was still a significant year with impressive numbers and statistics data.
Portfolio reported that from the approximately 2,400 billion HUF (7 million EUR) only 953 billion HUF was used in the second part of 2018 (3 million EUR). The second half of last year showed a rapid decrease which was unexpected because no other year has suffered from the lack of constructions in the year’s second part (July–December). The number of developments in this period of the year decreased by 21%.
The field of structural architecture showed an intensive increase. Last year approximately 1,400 billion HUF were spent on building different kinds of buildings across the country (4 million EUR). This is a 4% increase since 2017.
Photo: www.facebook.com/nifzrt
The low apartment and flat buildings sales at the beginning of 2018 showed a decrease by 20% but did not have any effect on structural architecture. This phenomenon was strengthened by the fact that in 2017 the architecture sector focused on buildings which would not function as flats and apartments for Hungarian residents – the number of these buildings increased by 17%.
Between July and December 2018, the construction works of these buildings valued approximately 538 billion HUF (2 million EUR).
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The building of roads, railways, tunnels, canals, etc. showed a significant decrease in the second part of 2018 even though at the beginning of last year the number of these projects were the most in the country. These works valued approximately 1,021 billion HUF in 2018 (3 million EUR). The number of new roads and railways decreased rapidly since 2016 and 2017. While two years ago these constructions valued approximately 336 billion HUF (1 million EUR) last year only 84 billion HUF (258 million EUR). This only happened in 2015.
Photo: www.facebook.com/nifzrt
Most of these construction works started in the Central-Hungarian region. According to the statistics, new works began in 2018 on 42% of the region’s area.
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