The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1985 (12. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1985-09-01 / 9. szám
The central market hall technicians. They recommended that the historical districts of the city be repaired as part of a complete regional rehabilitation plan. With the detailed plan elaborated, they decided to begin work in the so-called Erzsebetvaros district. The tasks included the complete renovation of the road and public utilities network of the district, the elaboration of an efficient network of public institutions, shopping facilities and other services, and the creation of parks among the stone and concrete blocks. This grandiose work aimed at changing the face of a whole district is already under way. The renovation of the first September, 1985 block is scheduled for the end of the year. Ten buildings have been cleared out for the duration of the maintenance works, the occupants having been provided suitable temporary accommodations. All the expenses of internal renovation, as well as the occupants’ moving in and out are defrayed by the district council. According to the carefuUv-elaborated plans three two-story buildings have been torn down and in their place a «ix- and eight-story building will be erected. The buildings left intact will be completely renewed. The overwhelming majority of the apartments in this district have no bathrooms or toilets and consist of one room that overlooks a dark courtyard. These will now be converted into bigger apartments with several rooms and all the necessary hygienic facilities. Some inner courtyards will be converted into light atriums with parks to improve the view from the windows. Wherever possible more floors will be added to the buildings to make up for space lost in the extension of flats. While work is under way in the first regabilitation block, design engineers are already working on the renovation plans for another six blocks in order to ensure smooth continuity. Thus the five districts of the city which are over 100 years old are scheduled . be renovated by the end of the millennium. By then 999 apartment blocks and 229 thousand apartments, together with public utilities and community services will have been renewed. News of the rehabilitation of entire districts has won the acclaim of specialists abroad, since no renovation program of similar magnitude has ever been undertaken anywhere in Europe before. This is why a number of foreign town-planners have visited Budapest. Most of them came from Sweden, France and Holland, where the demand to renew traditional architectural values has been pressing. Seeing the construction work in Budapest, these specialists have been inspired to call on foreigh construction enterprises to participate in Budapest's grandiose undertaking. A ROMAN WORLD UNDER A BRIDGE Budapest is a city of baths. Each day 70 million liters of medicinal water gush forth from its 123 hot-water springs. The Budapest telephone directory lists 21 thermal baths not much over the 18 Roman baths known to have existed in Aqueduct remains Page 5
