Demeter Zsófia - Gelencsér Ferenc: Örvendezz király város! - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. B. sorozat 51. A Fejér Megyei Múzeumegyesült kiadványai 8. (Székesfehérvár, 2002)
A tanulmány forrásai
They made it clear, however, that the sycamore behind the statue should not be cut down, only the acacias in front of the monument could be removed. The old sycamore still flowers behind, what has become Fehérvár’s symbolic statue. St. Stephen Year was officially opened with a festive general assembly in Székesfehérvár on 17th January 1938 in the new-look great hall of the Town Hall. Today too it us an experience entering this stately chamber. At the evening feast, present as guests of the mayor were the craftsmen who had taken part in the work in the Town Hall as well as representatives of the workgroups. The new Town Hall and council chamber were open every Sunday morning in February due to the wide interest, so that the town’s citizens could see them. The Town Hall, both inside and outside was altered according to Iván Kotsis’s plans. The complete cost of the alterations was 380,000 pengős. Today’s alterations of the Town Hall block came about with the extensive changes to the oldest buildings of the town-centre. The Cathedral and St. Anna’s Chapel were restored, the Szigethy House was demolished, and so Heroes’ Square was formed. The new suitable, high quality Town Hall had for decades been planned for sevaral locations in the town with the alterations of various buildings. The alteration of the original building was decided on by the municipal authority on 11th September 1935. Town technical advisor Ferenc Schmidl’s conception was realized - at the price of the demolition of worthless buildings and the opening and completion of the valuable, the buildings owned by the council were opened together. Today’s building was built according to Iván Kotsis’s plans. The building work lasted from February 1936 until autumn 1937. The two-storey Birbauer House between the old Town Hall building and Zichy Palace was demolished, its comer balcony was placed on the Town Hall comer facing the Cathedral and the graceful Madonna statue was placed in the inner courtyard. The Town Hall Close disappeared, as did St. Anna’s Close and the messy Zichy Palace courtyard. The buildings of the close, although the oldest baroque ones belonging to the town centre, tumbled over one another, so they were demolished with the Szigethy House, Obermayer House and the Ormai Inn and the palace facade was completed in both directions and was turned in towards the Cathedral and was connected to the main building. Practically unnoticed all two-storey buildings overlooking the street with all sides were enlarged with a ground-floor from the yard. The new inner yard provides light for the administrative building and the new council chamber and makes the passage through the close possible, while on the other hand when closed, it becomes a spectacular open-air courtyard, where on 18th August 1938 the most important programme in its history so far, the ceremonial Session of the Parliament was held. The inside of the Town Hall was also embelished with valuable works of art, not all of which, unfortunately, remain there nowadays. The council chamber is decorated with the fresco by Béla Kontuly and the corridor at the entrance is decorated with the secco by Vilmos Aba Novák. Vilmos Aba Novák’s work was made throughout 1939. The events of 1938 are depicted on this. The wall-painting remained un-236
