The main façade of the Archduke Joseph Palace on Szent György tér (Saint George Square) will soon be visible again - reports the National Hauszmann Programme in charge of reconstructions.

The reconstruction of the building has reached a spectacular stage: the roofing and decorative tinwork have already been completed, and the reconstruction of the richly decorated façade is progressing according to schedule. The side facing Szent György tér (Saint George Square) is over ninety percent complete, so after the final impregnation treatments, the specialists will soon remove the scaffolding, and the main façade can be presented to visitors in its original form again after more than half a century.

The restoration of the façade is being carried out with the help of contemporary documents and archive photographs, so that the original details can be authentically revived. The dividing pillars and the crowning cornice have already been returned to their places, as have the blind-arched pediments, shielded consoles and gargoyles of the attic walls. The limestone-carved arched gable on the eastern façade will soon feature the crowned coat of arms of the builder, Archduke Joseph Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine.

The structural work on the loggia bordering the Joseph Garden has been completed, the covering of the tower caps and the associated decorative tinwork tasks have also been completed. We will soon begin installing the decorative elements adorning the façade, while the imposing, wrought-iron gates of the driveways are also in an advanced state of preparation, waiting to be put in place.
 

The palace, built in 1906 in the historicizing style according to the plans of Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl – which was created by rebuilding the former Teleki Palace – survived the siege of Budapest, but was demolished in 1968 for ideological reasons. The building, which had a mixed fate, will be reborn in its original form and will become the new home of the Constitutional Court.