Despite protests from architects and artists, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, and the lack of consent from the artist's heirs, a huge cross has been placed on the pedestal of the Liberty Statue on Budapest's Gellért Hill.
According to the explanation previously provided by the agency overseeing Buda Castle and the renovation, "the most important symbol of 1,100 years of Hungarian statehood, Western Christianity and European culture" was placed "on the pedestal designed by the Stalinist Boris Iofan, where a statue of a Soviet soldier once stood." The government concluded that the renovation of the pedestal did not affect Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl's work in any way, and therefore did not violate the author's rights. István Simicskó, the head of the KDNP (Christian Democratic People’s Party) faction, said that with the cross, they are setting an example for the declining West.
Reacting to the placement of the cross, the capital's mayor Gergely Karácsony wrote: “Anyone who placed the cross onto the pedestal of the Liberty Statue without consulting the city of Budapest and against the wishes of the sculptor's heirs has no respect for this symbol, but is exploiting it. In other words: they are desecrating a symbol that is important to many of us and are inflicting a wound on Budapest. Anyone who commits such a thing cannot be a responsible conservative, but is at best a foolish political opportunist.”
Budapest's Citadel has been undergoing renovation for some time, with its completion scheduled for 2026. The renovation is being carried out by a consortium of two companies with close government ties: ZÁÉV Építőipari Zrt., owned by Lőrinc Mészáros and Market Építő Zrt., owned by István Garancsi.
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