According to the works of Hungarian architects, we live in a modern, up-to-date country, we are modern people who respect their traditions, who are able to create world-class, but uniquely Hungarian, said the President of the Republic Katalin Novák at the award ceremony organized on the occasion of Hungarian Architecture Day on Saturday in Vigado in Pest.

The state architecture awards were presented at the event, as well as the Károly Kós Lifetime Achievement Award, which Sándor Dévényi received for the first time.

The relationship with the past, the emphasis of our present and whether we are open to the world can be seen in the works of Hungarian architects - emphasized the President of the Republic, adding: all of this in the form of works that would take their place anywhere in the world. This is also the case with today's 21st century Hungarian architecture, your work, he added.

Katalin Novák said: the designation of the centers of gravity shows how important sports and culture are to us, and how much we pay attention to people's everyday lives. Related to this, state subsidies and programs have been started in Hungary, which are meant to support the spaces of everyday life, he added.

The President of the Republic also touched on the fact that we can be proud of the fact that the majority of Hungarians today live in their own homes, which are of an increasingly high standard.

The works of Hungarian architects show the diversity that characterizes the Hungarian people and the specifically Hungarian culture that we respect so much and live in - he pointed out, adding: the fact that in the Carpathian Basin around 3,200 churches have been renovated and 200 new church was built, it expresses what is really important to us in life.

Hungarian architecture is a self-expression, the self-expression of the Hungarians - emphasized the Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár at the ceremony. In his greeting, the head of the ministry emphasized that the architects who receive recognition for their work in architecture are all ready and able to express and show the world what 21st-century Hungarianness is like.

János Lázár added that the award also represents the past, the present and the future. He explained: behind the award are the past, merits and achievements of those architects who are recognized by the architectural society at the event and who are role models.

The present is suitable for showing the world who we Hungarians are in the 21st century. In addition, it points to the future, as it "makes us happy with the achievements of the past", so that the future generation will undertake, study and cultivate the profession of architecture.

On behalf of the government, János Lázár thanked all Hungarian architects for participating in the country-building work of the 21st century.

Attila Turi, the president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA), said in his celebratory speech: Károly Kós was not only an architect, but also a politician, writer, book publisher and graphic artist, but above all a guardian of the Transylvanian spirit, an organizer of cultural life.

He highlighted: From the work of Károly Kós, it can be seen that he wanted to improve the lives and environment of ordinary people in his beauty, together with his traditions. In his architecture, he strove for the community to accept the finished work, to feel it as their own, the president of the MMA pointed out.

This fall, the National Assembly declared Károly Kós's birthday, December 16, the day of Hungarian architecture.

The Károly Kós Lifetime Achievement Award - which was presented for the first time - was accepted by Sándor Dévényi. This year, Zsolt József Gallina received the István Schönvisner Award in recognition of his outstanding, wide-ranging professional activity in archeology that goes beyond exploratory and scientific work in order to protect the archaeological heritage.

László Besey received the Gyula Forster Award in recognition of outstanding professional activity in the field of monument protection. Attila Vincze received the Mihály Mőcsényi Award as a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his outstanding individual landscape architecture creative, educational and policy-view-forming activities.

The Pro Architectura award was received this year by Csilla Hegedüs, Imre Bődi, Zsolt Frikker, Zoltán Major, Péter Müllner, Tamás Getto and Gergely Sztranyák. This year Péter Bordás, György Dénes and János Krähling received the Ybl Miklós Award as a lifetime achievement award in recognition of their outstanding individual architectural creative and teaching activity, which concerns independently designed architectural works.

MTI

Featured image: Katalin Novák/Facebook