Prakfalvi Endre: Architecture of Dictatorship. The Architecture of Budapest between 1945 and 1959 - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1999)

only to the Sztálinváros construction project of the period. Its story must be told if for no other reason than to pay homage to the men who worked in the shadow of the “coffin bogies” in atmospheric pressures higher and more frequently applied than absolutely necessary, the men of whom it was laconically reported in contemporary documents that “many,” “very many” of them were killed in fatal accidents.

The construction of the underground railway (FaV) was inspired in several ways by the Moscow metro, even if it served as an overall example rather than a strictly copied pattern - although the Moscow model was cited as the immediate antecedent of the central positioning of platforms in the deep stations. In any case the Soviet metro was certainly a prototype in ideological terms as far as city-planning was concerned. The underground express served as a practical means of eliminating social differences in that it transported large crowds of workers over long distances in a short time, demonstrating in an exemplary manner the Stalinist tenet of caring for the people (putting into practice the theory of the three eights - eight hours at work, eight at rest, eight spent in relaxation and self-improvement).

Planning started at the turn of 1949-50. Determining the route was a matter of politics in that the simplest and shortest line was opted for, one that would connect the two major railway termini, the People’s Stadium and the government district. No station was planned to be built at Astoria as yet.

Work was given a jump start appropriate to the voluntarism of the era but, under pressure of circumstances, deadlines were later modified and expenses curbed. Builders were expected to work at maximum intensity with shifts changing without a moment’s interval, while mechanisation at the faces was on such a low level it is hard to imagine today. At the beginning, work was done with spades, shovels, ropes and buckets, and relevant experience was also lacking. The first “Hungarian tunnelling shield” was introduced as late as February 1953, when the entire construction work (1950-54) was halfway through. A major consideration contributing to the suspension of the project was the fact that the main concern of the new government programme under prime minister Imre Nagy (4 July 1953) was to ease the housing shortage.

The Népstadion Station was the only one to be archi40