Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 29. (Budapest, 2013)

Imre TAKÁCS: The Upgrade Programme for the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts

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6. First floor foyer of the Museum of Applied Arts, c. 1900, photo: Archives of the Museum of Applied Arts

it was in the direct vicinity of the museum that the armed forces of the Revolution tried to hold up the incoming Soviet armour. Artillery fire damaged the roof, the walls, the library, the exhibition halls and the stores (Fig. 8).

The surfaces were patched up, but the physical condition of the building went into gradual decline. Leaking roofs, damp walls and faults in the plumbing and electrical system became everyday problems. What was once the most popular museum in the country, with collections and a building which retain their international prestige, can no longer fulfil its function. By the opening years of the 21st century, the condition of the building crossed the critical

boundary and became dangerous to both staff and public. In summer 2011, the 12- metre-high, 30-tonne ceramic tower atop

7. Detail of the Esterházy Treasury exhibition, pre-1942 photo by Elemér KSszeghy, Archives of the Museum of Applied Arts

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