Tanulmányok Budapest Múltjából 31. (2003)
A MÚLT RÉTEGEI - A SZENT GYÖRGY TÉR TÖRTÉNETE - Magyar Károly: A budavári Szent György tér és környékének kiépülése : történeti vázlat 1526-tól napjainkig 43-126
MAGYAR KÁROLY towards the north - situated already on the south-western side of Dísz Square - there was standing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We could continue the list with other important ministries positioned further on within the Castle-district, but is clear even so that a very high grade concentration of political power was realized here on a very small piece of land. But not even this could defend Horthy on the 15 th October 1944, when he tried to break away from the war. He was captured in his own palace by the German troops. The fall of his and his successor's regime brought in certain sense with itself the fall of the square as well. This was so not merely because the devastating siege of Budapest in the winter of 1944-45, but because of the period coming after. 1945-2003 In fact, the Castle-district of Buda, just like the area of the St. George Square within it - as the last stronghold of the German and Hungarian troops remained here - suffered enormous devastation. The ruined buildings were at once dismantled from their original functions, also because they represented the collapsed regime. In spite of this for about one decade serious plans were made to reconstruct the former Royal Palace and surrounding buildings for the purpose of the communist party and government centre. Thanks God, nothing of this was realized - mainly because of pecuniary reasons. Afterwards the efforts were focused mainly on the reconstruction of the Royal Palace as a 'Citadel of Culture'. Meanwhile the St. George Square was used as a construction area and some of its buildings - such as the Royal stable and the former Teleki-palace, the residence of the last 'damned' Habsburgs - were declared worthless as architectural monuments. Later both of them were demolished. It was only the seventies, when the reconstruction works reached the square, when the theatre and the former Carmelite cloister were renovated. For a long time after this a great variety of quite different plans were made for the utilization of the two other buildings standing still in ruins, and for the empty spaces, none of which came - fortunately - true. From 1994 onwards at least the archaeological excavations could be started, by which a great number of medieval architectural remains and other finds were brought to light. Beside this there was only one single, but really important result of the last quarter of a century: in 2000-2002 the Sándor-palace was totally reconstructed and in the February of 2003 the palace became the official residence of the Hungarian president. This could mean that now, after half a century of loosing its prestige St. George square may some of its former importance have back. .. 126
