After the complete restoration, the Habsburg Gate is once again decorated with Gyula Donáth's statue of a turul bird, which was lifted back to its original place in Buda Castle on Thursday with the help of a 60-ton giant crane.
The restoration of the statue began in February of this year as part of the National Hauszmann Program, which interested parties could observe in the open-air restorer's workshop set up on the Savoy terrace, the Várkapitányság Nonprofit Zrt. informed MTI.
During the work, the specialists carried out patina-preserving cleaning and restoration, unlike previous repairs, this time they repaired the damage to the bronze surface with their own component material, bronze welding.
The inner frame of the statue has been strengthened, now stainless steel screws hold the work together.
During the restoration, it was revealed that the sculpture has a self-supporting shell, so the main function of the frame of the work is not to support the work, but to ensure the resistance of the wings in stormy winds.
Sculptor Gyula Donáth's work depicting a turul bird was erected in 1905, during the final stage of the turn-of-the-century expansion of the Budavári Palace, at the corner of the fence belonging to the Habsburg Gate. The height of the work is 5 meters, its width is 7 meters, and its weight is close to 9 tons.
Its plinth is decorated with the coat of arms of historic Hungary, and over the past almost 120 years it has become one of the most popular attractions in the Buda Castle District.
The work suffered several damages during the Second World War, and its condition has deteriorated significantly since then, despite minor repairs.
According to the information, the Castle Administration will complete the complete renovation of the Habsburg gate and the associated staircase next to the Turul statue this year.
In the coming weeks, the renovation of the Halászó children's well and its terrace will be completed. The decorative well was created by Károly Senyei in 1900, the sculpture group depicts two boys fighting a huge catfish and a little girl watching them. The work, which was damaged in the war, was returned to its original location after several moves. Due to its poor condition, it has not worked for many years.
Source and image: vadhajtasok.hu / MTI
