Spectacular VISUAL PLANS: Rebirth of the nation’s historic main square in Budapest
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The National Hauszmann Programme has announced that the historic Saint George Square will undergo a significant transformation in the coming years, becoming greener, more organised, and more ornate.
Nation’s historic main square to be reborn
Located at the heart of the Budavár Palace District, a World Heritage site, the square is a symbol of Hungary’s independent statehood, the Facebook post of the National Hauszmann Programme writes. Its revitalisation aims to pay off a longstanding cultural debt. The project will begin in early 2025, with the goal of completing it within a few years. The new design will honour historical traditions while meeting modern standards.
A central feature will be the Freedom Column (Szabadság oszlopa), designed by Italian architect and sculptor Marco Casagrande in 1848. This grand monument, inspired by the revolution, will be surrounded by a 12-sided marble basin with lion sculptures.
The Freedom Column will symbolically replace the Hentzi Monument, which long represented Austrian oppression after the 1848-49 Revolution. The new monument area will feature decorative paving and utilise large cobblestones from the current surface.
