The Budapest Liberty Statue’s Pedestal to Be Enriched with a Cross

The Citadel’s renovation is in full swing, with a cross soon to be placed on the pedestal of the Liberty Statue, Világgazdaság spotted the National Hauszmann Program’s Facebook post.

The renovation of the Citadel and its surroundings started in spring 2021. As recalled in the latest post on the National Hauszmann Program’s Facebook page, the works included a condition survey and archaeological excavation of the area, the reconstruction of the outer and inner walls of the fortress and the tidying up of the inner courtyard in several phases. The development will increase the green area by a factor of one and a half, and a new public park will be created inside the fortress wall.

One of the most spectacular features of the works is the opening of the walls on the north and south sides, and since March 15, 2022 the Citadel has been decorated with Hungary’s largest national flag.

The flag commemorates the heroes who gave their lives for Hungarian independence.

Behind the Liberty Statue, a staircase will be built to allow visitors to enter the fortress park directly. The renewed cannon tower will house a spectacular exhibition on the Hungarian struggle for freedom, titled “The Bastion of Freedom” (“Szabadság Bástyája”).

In line with the design of the development, the exhibition is being prepared by Art1st Design Kft. with the help of a wide team of experts, including a historian, museum educator and scriptwriter.

In parallel to the Citadel’s renovation, experts have also raised a group of statues neglected for decades.

Work is underway to repair the stone defects and weathering on the pedestal and to replace and restore the stone elements. The work will also involve cleaning the surface of the main sculpture and other elements of the composition. They will also inspect the thousands of fixing screws in the sculptures and repair any cracks. The metal conservators are currently replacing the internal structural joints and cleaning the external surfaces.

The Facebook post highlights that

a cross, “the most important symbol of 1,100 years of Hungarian statehood, Western Christianity and European culture,” will be placed on the pedestal of the Liberty Statue, where formerly a statue of a Soviet soldier used to stand.

The restoration work will be followed by the creation of a new terrace around the statue, which will be designed to fit in with the Citadel’s parks. The works were previously scheduled for completion in 2023, but now look set to be completed by 2026, when the exhibition is expected to open.

Via Világgazdaság, Featured image: Facebook/Nemzeti Hauszmann Program