Budapest arms & colours. Throughout the centuries (Budapest, 1998)

The two savages, however, proved unacceptable for the public opinion of a nation preparing for the celebrations of their Milleneum in the 1890-s, so their place was taken by two knights in 15th century armour. "The two heraldic sewages have been replaced by two Hungarian knights as supporting figures "

l 1 The efforts to change the arms of the capital were renewed forty years later: in 1929, on the occasion of preparing the new Municipatory Laws for the capital. On 26th June, 1929, the General Assembly of the capital made a decision to set up a Committee, whose task was to examine whether "it would be appropriate to have the arms of our capital city

11 and the colours of its banner changed, according to the rules of heraldry."

11 The committee invited Chief Archivist Albert Gárdonyi, Professor Bálint Hóman and Dezső Csánki, Director of the National Archives to offer their expertise. In the opinions of these experts — all three insisting on strictly scholarly considerations and rejecting political motions aimed at changing merely the colours of the banner — two views were confronted: that of the heraldist and that of the citizen aware of and respecting history and traditions. True as it is, they said, that Budapest's coat of arms is flawed but "this