Discussion: City Renovation in Budapest - Dealing with Existing Buildings
Budapest was founded in 1872, through the union of three independent communities: Óbuda (Old Oven), Buda (Oven) and Pest. In the subsequent period, the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian empire developed into one of Europe's leading metropolises. Its classical and romantic style buildings were mainly built during the second third of the 19th century and around the turn of the century. In addition to the constructions of this initial period, with its typical building styles ranging from historicism to art-nouveau, buildings from other epochs also play a part, such as the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre and the thermal baths. Budapest can also offer baroque churches, or the works of Bauhaus architects. The mass housing developments of the socialist period had a serious effect on the historic appearance of the city. These satellite cities destroyed the existing traditional buildings and the village road network in many places. Luckily, the early construction in the inner city escaped an ambitious design project that was intended to reshape the centre along a "Stalin Avenue". The communist regime converted every branch of the economy into state property, and placed great emphasis on heavy industry. With the loss of craft traditions, the knowledge transmitted over centuries also disappeared. Knowledge in the architectural field was also lost, and renovation works were no longer carried out properly. The shortage of building materials also had an effect, as did the frequently poor quality of those materials available. Much of what had not been destroyed by the world wars or by the Soviet army has fallen victim to neglect over the course of time. For this reason, the renovation of Budapest presents an enormous challenge, with the goal of creating a "large city as a monument".
