Sedlmayer János - Juan Cabello: Dr. Gerő László (Kiállítási katalógusok)

foremost task, just like preventive medicine in human health. Gerő gives an exhaustive account of the major tasks of monument in his work „Exploration, Restoration and Protection of Architectural Monuments" (Budapest, 1958), where he sums up experience gathered in previous restorations. The book is a must for monument protection specialists. His work as a designer is closely connected with his activity as teacher. He lectured on monument protection as an optional subject at the Technical University since 1948, capturing his audiences with his easy style, effective wanderings from the subject only to return with novel and striking ideas and unusual views. Third to be mentioned here is his oeuvre as a writer of professional works which is rather formidable: books, essays, commentaries stand evidence of his extensive and profound knowledge. His volumes on Hungarian castle and fortresses deserve mention in the first place. His first book to be published on the subject (Castle Architecture in Hungary, Budapest, 1956) indeed fills a gap since up to that time foreign and Hungarian castles had either been listed in alphabetical order only, or in some other equally obsolete system. No one before him ever thought that these fortresses could also be classified according to firearms and defence system. He set up five categories for Hungarian and foreign castles (I. Earthworks, II. Donjons, III. Castles with Internal Towers, IV. Castles with External Towers, V. Old and New Italien Towered Castles and Fortresses). Several later works on castle architecture are also connected with his name. Some of them were bom as fruits of his cooperation with excellent archeologists and architects. Gerő earned the recognition of the Scientific Council of the Internationales Burgen-Institute (IBI) for his theoretical exploits in castle architecture and for the restoration of many a Hungarian castle, and the medieval parts of Buda castle in particular. He has been chairman of the Scientific Council of IBI since 1970. When listing, however briefly, his publications we may, by no means ignore the volumes called „Townscape and Monument Surveys" in the editing and compiling of which Gerő took a lion's share. He himself did the surveys of several towns, and edited and revised most of the books. Remarkable is the achievement that the handful of authors, including László Gerő, produced: in such a short time they mapped and architecturally documented 75 settlements. These volumes are constantly used as reference and most of their findings still hold. In several volumes we meet the urban planner, or more prcisely, the architect who fears and cares for the survival and rehabilitation of protected city centres. He wrote books on the cities of Eger and Pápa, on Budapest (Architecture of Pest-Buda at the Time of Unification, 1973), produced a comprehensive work on the state of protected city centres and charted out the tasks (Historic City Quarters, Budapest, 1971). He made simple and workable proposals for the rehabilitation of city centres. „Urban development begins with the sweeping of the streets", he stresses on many occasions, and even this simple advice failed to reach competent ears at many places. Apart from attending to the squares and streets of the cities, Gerő never forgot even the slightest of details like a fine paving, plants, street furniture, lighting, etc. On his proposal, thirteen protected city quarters and monument ensembles were appointed for conservation and development. And we are not to forget about the architectural historian here either. He studied the Roman military amphitheatre of Óbuda even before the Roman Santo Stefano Rotondo (Budapest, 1941) was published. His work was not simply a theoretical analysis but also suggested plans for restoration. He did a vast job researching and planning the restoration of the former Royal Palace in Buda, and its medieval parts in particular. Meanwhile, he published a work - in several languages - on bourgeois houses in Buda and architectural monuments by lake Balaton (this together with Géza Entz). He identified the values and importance of our eclectic architecture, praising its role in urban architecture in Budapest and some rural cities. Besides, he published works on the universal history of architecture, including Hungarian Architecture (Budapest, 1956 and 1973) and Old Russian Architecture (Budapest, 1971). In addition to these works Gerő wrote a great number of articles and scientific works - which makes one seriously wonder when he managed to find the time for all these activities. He has been doing a tremendous job editing the periodical „Monument Protection". The first issue came out in 1957, when OMF was set up. Ever since Gerő has been editing and typesetting with his own hands, this periodical of Hungarian monument protection. And magic of magics: the publication still appears in the same format, even if in increased size, quarterly, without delay. Gerő is very good at getting people write for him. He edits and supplements the articles, and writes pieces and book reviews also himself. László Gerő is clearly a man who enjoys work and arts. He likes simplicity and order, and in all his undertakings he has always been a staunch and unrelenting champion of architecture and monument protection. János Sedlmayr