Mentényi Klára szerk.: Műemlékvédelmi Szemle 2003/1. szám Az Országos Műemléki Felügyelőség tájékoztatója (Budapest, 2003)
VITA - Rostás Tibor: A műemlékvédelem a magyar millenniumban
exhibition rooms building a stair leading from the ground floor of the „Vitéz-palace" to the cellar partly pulling down the in situ existing 15 th century barrel vault. In the case of Visegrád a hypothesis of late gothic and renaissance was born - a stone castle built in the air. The main building of the Visegrád palace complex transformed in the millenary reconstruction, the northern palace built in terraces of the hillside originally contained the remains of the back walls built on the rocks. The millenary building itself is nothing else than a modern ruin built on the original remains, the ground-floor of which is totally, the first one partly built up, the second consisting only a staircase. The courtyard has a reconstructed renaissance loggia and a fountain. The historical value of the ruin was damaged during the reconstruction and the last rebuilding has totally deprived it. It is not one of the most important ruin-building of the late middle ages any more, but what was thought about it at the end of the 20th century. The trace of past was lost forever. The excavated original parts and the few built in fragments get lost among the huge millenary walls and loose their authenticity. For generations this palace would mean the glorious past, the court of Sigismund and Matthias, that is collective memory is transformed. The responsibility of the expert is great; the task of the historian is for example to explain the past seen differently from age to age. This rebuilding however made untimely a few experts' way of thinking. Looking for common features in the three reconstructions one can be found, that the most important task and duty of monument protection was not really taken into consideration in all of the cases. The conservation of the original building remains was not done with the exception of the Esztergom chapel façade. The main purpose was rebuilding, the commemoration of our own age. It is not yet known what sort of influence would these examples have on the Hungarian monument protection of the near future. It seems to be logical that they would serve as an example for other reconstructions. From this point the building up of the ruin of Visegrád seems to be the most dangerous. It just might be hoped that it would not be followed by the building up of other ruins of the country. Hungarian monument protection is in a deep crisis - I am afraid of its future.
