In the past ten years, the largest number of cultural projects of all time have started and been implemented in Hungary, both in the provinces and in the capital. The government shares the belief that the Hungarian nation can only be strong if it protects its culture, and preserves its built-up and spiritual cultural heritage. Previous left-liberal governments intentionally weakened national culture; during their terms in government, the state of our built-up national heritage and a great many monuments deteriorated, and there were no refurbishment projects. Since 2010 in Hungary, cultural projects have been ongoing.
Budapest cultural projects
The Liget Budapest Project is Hungary’s largest cultural development since the millennium, and is also one of the world’s most significant urban development projects with a cultural focus which simultaneously extends and renews the City Park’s (Városliget) green areas and institutional network in a complex manner. As a result of the project, the Museum of Fine Arts in Heroes’ Square has been fully refurbished. The first phase of the comprehensive refurbishment project worth HUF 16.5 billion covered an area of 14,000 square metres, meaning almost forty per cent of the museum’s total ground space. During the reconstruction project, the Romanesque Hall – which was severely damaged in World War II and was left closed to the public for more than 70 years – was restored to its old glory, along with the Renaissance-style Michelangelo Hall as a new exhibition space. As part of the renovation project, a sophisticated restaurant and café were created in the basement level. Phase two of the refurbishment of the museum has also started; its purpose is to create new exhibition spaces and cutting-edge warehousing facilities, to modernise the facility’s energy supply and infrastructure, to use renewable energy sources, to make the building accessible for people with disabilities, and to implement the related restoration programmes. In addition to the refurbishment of the Museum of Fine Arts, also as part of the Liget Budapest Project, the National Museum Restoration and Warehousing Centre in Szabolcs utca has been completed as well. The building complex with an enormous ground space also accommodates a visitor centre, in addition to cutting-edge restoration workshops. The project will remedy the collection and warehouse problems of the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Gallery for decades. The former Olof Palme House has also been fully refurbished from a budget of HUF 5.25 billion as part of the Liget Budapest Project; it now awaits visitors under the name House of Millennium. Within the framework of the Liget Budapest Project, the construction of the House of Hungarian Music, the Museum of Ethnography and an underground parking facility in Dózsa György út are under way as well. The construction of the New National Gallery, the House of Hungarian Innovation and the Városliget Theatre also form part of the project; however, the fate of these elements has become doubtful as the new Budapest city leadership elected in October said they did not want these cultural projects. The structure of the Zoo Biodome is near-complete; this will accommodate, among others, Central Europe’s largest aquarium. In 2018, this project was voted best leisure architecture in Europe.
The government provided almost HUF 2 billion for the development of the garden of the National Museum. Preparations for the reconstruction of the Museum of Applied Arts are under way, as are the refurbishment of the building of the Hungarian State Opera and the finalisation of the Eiffel Hall which will serve as a venue both for rehearsals and performances. As expected, the building of the Kertész Imre Institute – whose mission is to foster the memory and intellectual heritage of the Nobel Prize winner author – will be completed this year, while the Robert Capa Contemporary Centre of Photography will also be refurbished and enlarged.
The comprehensive architectural reconstruction of the Buda Castle District has been ongoing for several years. In addition to rescuing our cultural heritage, this project is also highly relevant to tourism. In 2014, the Castle Garden Bazaar which had been left dilapidated for decades was fully reconstructed. Today, the building complex designed by the architect Ybl awaits visitors restored to its old glory; it is a favourite place for strolls, and also an important cultural venue which hosts exhibitions, concerts and family programmes. In the past few years, Matthias Church (the Church of the Assumption) in Buda Castle has been fully refurbished both inside and outside; the government provided HUF 9.4 billion for the reconstruction works. The Guards Building is about to be inaugurated; it will open in spring 2020 as a restaurant and exhibition space. The building of the Riding Hall (abandoning its original function, now serving as a cultural and event venue) and the Stöckl Staircase have also been completed; as expected, these will open to the public in 2021 after the landscaping of the nearby Csikós Yard and the construction of access for people with disabilities in the immediate environment. The reconstruction of the southern wing of the Buda Castle has started. As part of this, the interior of the St. Stephen Room will be restored, while there is also a government decision about the reconstruction of the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building, the Defence Headquarters Building and the Archduke Joseph Palace that stood opposite Sándor Palace until its demolition. However, as part of the National Hauszmann Programme, not only buildings are being refurbished; the paths, promenades, castle walls, parks, green areas and gardens will also be restored to their former glory.
The Academy of Music was refurbished a few years ago. During the project worth HUF 13.9 billion in total, in addition to the restoration of the main building in Liszt Ferenc tér built in the Secession style, the Wesselényi utca training centre of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music was also completed. The reconstruction of the main building was awarded the Europa Nostra prize as an outstanding example of heritage conservation, and in 2015 it was voted best in the cultural heritage preservation category. The Budapest Music Centre was built from a government allocation of HUF 600 million. The Thália Theatre has been enlarged, and now includes a new, modern stage: The government provided almost a billion forints for the construction of the Thália Winter Garden inaugurated last year.
Both the Pest and Buda Vigadó Buildings have been refurbished; we spent HUF 14.5 billion on the reconstruction of the two buildings. The Pest Vigadó opened as an all-arts event venue in 2014, while the House of Traditions has moved back to the refurbished Buda Vigadó.
The government provided HUF 2 billion for the modernisation of the National Theatre, including the upgrading of stage technology. At the same time, decisions have also been adopted about providing the National Dance Company with a permanent venue – for the preparations of which the government provided almost HUF 700 million – and about supporting the Modern Opera project. For the years ahead, Budapest plans feature, in addition to the modernisation of the National Archives, the refurbishment of the House of Terror Museum, the National Museum and the József Attila Theatre.
Cultural projects in the provinces
In the provinces, too, a number of cultural projects have been and are being implemented. At the Szentendre Outdoor Museum of Ethnography, there is a HUF 7.4 billion development under way, while with the building complex introducing the folk architecture and everyday objects of Transylvania, the outdoor village museum will be complete, familiarising visitors with the folk culture of the Hungarian people.
The Komárom Fort – which was once, in its own time, Central Europe’s largest military complex – has also been restored to its original state. As a result of a reconstruction project worth HUF 6.14 billion, the renovated building complex now also accommodates a new cultural centre with a ground space of more than 7,000 square metres which will be inaugurated this year.
The new building of the Institute for National Education is currently being built in Lakitelek from a grant worth HUF 3.3 billion, while the Makovecz Programme provides HUF 13.4 billion for fostering the renowned architect’s life work. As part of this, throughout the country 30 buildings have been or will be completed, renovated and enlarged. Reconstruction works have been carried out in the Old Szentendre Artist Colony, and the Szigliget and Zsennye creative centres – which have undergone refurbishment works worth almost half a billion forints – now offer guests more modern facilities.
The renovation of the building of the Szolnok Szigligeti Theatre as well as the preparation of the plans necessary for the refurbishment of the Kecskemét Katona József Theatre started in 2019 from grants provided by the government to the value of some HUF 4 billion.
The Modern Cities Programme provides funds for the majority of cultural developments implemented in county-ranked cities. The Kaposvár Csiky Gergely Theatre has been fully refurbished both inside and outside from HUF 9.5 billion; the inauguration ceremony was held in October 2019. In Nyíregyháza, the Rózsakert Outdoor Theatre was refurbished from HUF 1.2 billion. In Sopron, the historical city centre was reconstructed from grants worth HUF 2 billion, while in Eger a part of the former city wall was rebuilt from an allocation to the value of HUF 1.81 billion. In Szekszárd, an interactive library, complete with an archive, was built from grants worth HUF 4.1 billion, while the József Attila County library in Tatabánya will be refurbished from HUF 2.78 billion. The modernisation of the Szombathely Gallery has also started, for the purposes of which the town has been granted EU funds to the value of HUF 1.42 billion.
There are refurbishment projects about to start or already under way in several provincial theatres. The Csokonai Theatre in Debrecen, the Győr National Theatre and the Veszprém Petőfi Theatre have yet to be refurbished, while the renovation of the Zalaegerszeg Hevesi Sándor Theatre is also on the agenda of the Modern Cities Programme.
The HUF 2 billion development of the Szolnok Artist Colony has also started as part of the Modern Cities Programme. The development of the Munkácsy Quarter in Békéscsaba designed to foster the heritage of and popularise the painter Mihály Munkácsy is ongoing, for the purposes of which we will allocate more than HUF 4 billion.
In Zalaegerszeg, a Mindszenty Museum will be created from HUF 10.15 billion, and works will also continue in the Nyíregyháza Kállay Mansion which will accommodate exhibition and conference rooms as well as a permanent urban history exhibition. In Nyíregyháza, the development of the Sóstó Museum Village is also under way, while the preparations of the Garden of Tales project are ongoing.
The National Castle Programme and the National Fortress Programme will also continue this year. As part of these, 19 castles and 15 fortresses will be renovated from grants worth more than HUF 60 billion.
In the past ten years, the country’s most visited and best-known castles have been refurbished one by one, along with buildings which previously had no functions. The new tourism attractions will house museums and visitor centres. The Gödöllő Grassalkovich Castle has been refurbished (HUF 2.4 billion), while the Grassalkovich Family’s Hatvan castle has also been rescued from decay (HUF 3.15 billion), and currently houses the Széchenyi Zsigmond Hunting Museum. The Edelény Castle and the surrounding 5.1-hectare park have been renovated as part of a project worth HUF 2.4 billion. The Esterházy Castle in Fertőd has been renovated in multiple phases from a total allocation of almost HUF 4.5 billion. The Keszthely Festetics Castle and the Gyula Almássy Castle – now featuring visitor centres – have each been refurbished from allocations worth more than HUF 2 billion. The Sándor-Metternich Castle in Bajna, the Dég castle of the Festetics Family, the Nádasladány castle of the Nádasdy Family, the Szabadkígyós castle of the Wienckheim Family and the Tata castle of the Esterházys have each been renovated from more than HUF 2 billion. In addition to the Károlyi Castle in Füzérradvány and the bishop’s castle in Sümeg, the renovation of the new phase of the building complex of the Oroszány-Majkpuszta Esterházy Castle and the Kamaldul reclusory will also be completed from expenditures of similar magnitudes.
As part of the National Fortress Programme, preservation and restauration works as well as tourism developments are being carried out in 15 legendary fortresses of Hungarian history. The programme features the renovation of the Füzér, Szögliget, Somló, Szigetvár and Kisvárda castles, while reconstruction works are also ongoing in Hungary’s most popular castle, in Eger Castle.
Cultural projects are likewise being implemented under the auspices of the Hungarian Villages Programme. Last year, two sub-programmes expressly served to reinforce local communities and to boost cultural life. One of them provides grants for churches, among others, for the modernisation of buildings, the procurement of equipment and the organisation of programmes, while the other one – the sub-programme entitled Strengthening national and local identity awareness – offers funds to local governments for the construction or renovation of community and cultural service spaces and the implementation of events and programmes. In the programme which will also continue in 2020 an allocation worth HUF 5 billion has been set aside for local organisations and cultural associations as without community and cultural life there are no cohesive communities.
(MTI)
