Architect: POTZNER Ferenc
The Main Guard House, the Stöckl Stairs and the Royal Riding Hall have been rebuilt in their original form and location. Their completion was a milestone in the reconstruction works of the Buda Castle complex, these were the first total reconstructions of the historic buildings. The rehabilitation of the Csikós Courtyard area was the next project in the National Hauszmann Program. Stairs and ramps built back according to original, archived drawings and old photos, new stairs and accessible elevators provide connection between the Csikós Courtyard, the Hunyadi Courtyard, the Turkish Garden and the Tabán area. The newly rebuilt Karakas Pasha Tower, with a new function, has closed off the northern end of the Csikós courtyard.
The reconstruction of the Buda Royal Castle, plundered during Turkish occupation and ravaged by the fights for its liberation, had begun in 1748. After several intervals, rebuildings and enlargements, the castle complex was completed in 1905, under the management of chief architect Alajos Hauszmann. The castle suffered serious damages during World War II. The following reconstruction focused on the presentation of the medieval remains, so everything was demolished that interfered with this intent. The Riding Hall was demolished in the 1950s, the Main Guard House and the Stöckl Stairs in 1971, so the younger generations have got used to the incomplete state of the castle district. After many years of preliminary studies and concept development, reconstruction began in 2016, within the framework of the first phase of the National Hauszmann Project. Construction drawings were prepared with great care, based on original, archived drawings, high resolution old photos and studies made by art historians, to achieve the truest possible solutions. The period details sometimes had to be designed based on analogy.
All the architectural elements, every capital, fascia, tympanum and statue that can be found on the Main Guard House building, were designed in accordance with original drawings and old photos. The brick wall was built using Roman cement, the stone wall, the statues, wall lamps, windows, doors and railings are all authentic reconstructions. Despite the up-to-date structure, the new building has the same contour as the original one and the shape of the roof also follows that of the Hauszmann building. The originally simple interior accommodates a kitchen and a restaurant. The exhibition on the upper floor evokes the spirit of the enlightenment, the writer-officers of the Hungarian Royal Guard and the neologists of the 18-19th centuries. There is also a room for 3D historic film presentation. A new element on the building is the artistic bronze gate, which opens from the Csikós Courtyard to the bottommost archeological area. Its reliefs depict different scenes from Hungarian history.
The Royal Riding Hall, true to its name, was a splendid and luxurious building, which has been reconstructed with period details. The carvings of the open roof structure, the lamps, wall lamps, stained glass windows, the ornaments of the royal box and the orchestra box all enhance the elegance of the interior. The reconstructed building has been designed for multifunctional use, it serves the equestrian traditions but it can also be the optimal venue of different events. The mounted oak floor of the hall can be dismantled and the pit can be filled with 20 cm thick sand for equestrian use.
The Stöckl Stairs, which connect the Hunyadi Courtyard and the Csikós Courtyard, have been rebuilt in their origainal place, between the Main Guard House and the National Széchenyi Library.
The Csikós Courtyard is bordered by the Krisztinaváros wing of the castle (occupied by the National Széchenyi Library) from the south and the Karakas Pasha Tower with the adjoining curtain wall from the north. Its western limit is Palota Road, ascending the hill with hairpin turns from Attila Road and/or Dózsa György Square, bordered by a retaining wall designed by Ybl. The eastern limit is the reconstructed, massively buttressed wall built during the reign of King Sigismund, bordering the highest plateau of the castle area, the Hunyadi Courtyard, from the west. The Csikós Courtyard with the connecting Turkish Garden constitute the immediate surroundings of the Royal Riding Hall. Owing to its size and design, it can be the venue of different major events, nevertheless it is also an important pedestrian junction for approaching the castle district from the direction of Krisztinaváros. The courtyard has been named after a statue by sculptor Vastagh György Jn. The statue named Csikós (traditional horse herder) holding back its rampant horse has been erected in its original place in front of the riding hall after complete reconstruction.
The Hauszmann ramp, connecting the Csikós Courtyard with the Hunyadi Courtyard, has been reconstructed based on archived photos and original construction drawings, with consideration to the preservation of archeological remains and also to the requirements of the modern age. Its architect, Hauszmann, called it ’a sloping walkway for leading the horses up and down’. The ramp had survived World War II. with some damages, it was demolished only in the second half of the 1960s. The construction of the original and the reconstructed new ramp is similar, but the original, solely brick structure has been supplemented with a reinforced concrete framework. The water tank integrated into the ramp, designed by Miklós Ybl, has also been reconstructed according to archived drawings. In order to support the event venue function of the courtyard, the ramp structure accommodates toilets, shops and storage areas as well. The picturesque look of the finely sectioned ramp is enhanced by the fair faced red brick architecture with doors and windows painted a complementary green colour, and the light colour limestone capping of the stepped parapets. The ramp is connected to the upper walkway running along the parapet of the castle walls from the Hunyadi courtyard to Szent György Square. Accessible traffic between the Csikós Courtyard and the Hunyadi Courtyard is supported by an elevator built into the northern wing of the F building.
The two elevators of the Tabán lift pavilion provide accessible connection between the Csikós Courtyard and Palota Road, moreover they serve the storage areas built under the courtyard, too. The lift pavilion had to be designed with the smallest possible size, at the corner of the courtyard next to the corner of the F building (Krisztinaváros wing) and the Ybl retaining wall, using quality materials suitable for the surroundings. The elevator superstructures in the courtyard have reflective/mirror glass cladding. The design of the Palota Road entrance to the elevators aimed at a recognizable but modest look, letting the architecture of the Ybl retaining wall dominate.
The Karakas Pasha Tower was built between 1618 and 1621, at the junction of the crenellated wall of the western fortifications and the east-west curtain wall of the castle. A round medieval foundation had been used by the Turks to build a two-story, dodecagonal cannon tower, which was partially demolished at the end of the 19th century, when the Hauszmann ramp was built. The tower was rebuilt in the 1950s, but the result was different from the original and new elements were added. The new reconstruction, based on the survey prepared in the Hauszmann era, could be true to the original design only in respect of the external dimensions, owing to the changes in the surrounding levels. A café with an outdoor terrace and an information counter have been established on the floor accessible from the Csikós Courtyard. The lower floor, on level with the Turkish Garden, accommodates storerooms and public toilets. Single flight steel stairs, built along the western interior wall of the tower, connect the two floors.
The so called Ybl retaining wall, built at the end of the 19th century, is located parallel to Palota Road from the Karakas Pasha Tower to the Krisztinaváros wing of the castle, which is occupied by the National Széchenyi Library. The wall was longer originally, and its construction could be linked to Miklós Ybl, who had designed and supervised the extension of the Buda Castle and the landscaping of its surroundings until his death in 1891. Reconstruction of the wall included the cleaning and restoration of the stone elements and the renewal of the red brick facing of the structurally stable wall.
Location: Budapest I. Budai Várnegyed
Built: 2020-2022
Project architect: POTZNER Ferenc
Architects:
Main Guard House – POTZNER Ferenc
Royal Riding Hall – POTZNER Ferenc
Stöckl Staircase – MASZNYIK Csaba (Masznyik és Gábor Építésziroda Kft)
Hauszmann ramp – MAKAY András
Tabán lift – POTZNER Ádám (Malogranatum Kft)
Upper lift – BOGNÁR Melinda
Ybl retaining wall – POTZNER Ferenc
Karakas Pasha Tower – MAKAY András
Associate architects: PATAK Gergely, MIKLÓS Zsófia, DEICHLER Tímea, KÓRÓDY Márta, ŐRI Borbála, PROHÁSZKA Aurél, SOLTÉSZ László, TÓTH Balázs, VARGA Éva, BORBÉLY András, BOZSÓ Barna, DÁNYÁDI Sára, CSÓKA Attila Róbert
Landscape architect: Stefler István, Hulej Miklós (Garten Studio)
Structural engineer: GODA Balázs (Főmterv)
Mechanical engineers: OLTVAI András, OLTVAI Tamás (Oltvai Stúdió)
Electrical engineers: KAJTÁN László, MÁRAMAROSI András
Main Guard House area: 670 m2
Royal Riding Hall area: 840 m2
Stöckl Stairs area: 100 m2
Karakas Pasha Tower area: 190 m2