Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 6. (Budapest, 2011)
Recenziók
Abstracts 415 disputes and other conflicts that raged around the work of people engaged in protecting historic buildings in the 1950s. The Executive Committee of Budapest Council proposed the demolition of these buildings in 1952, citing risks to excavations for the construction of the Metro line. Although there was no independent organisation in charge of historic buildings, architects, art historians, historic buildings experts and museum curators joined forces to oppose this politically-motivated plan, and the city fathers eventually changed their minds. The square survived the building of the Metro station. The case offers a close-up look at the power games of the Rákosi Era. It is a good example of the dictatorship’s attitude to the historical heritage, but also shows that the authorities were not omnipotent even in that extreme period. The professional community’s stand for its deeply-held values was particularly remarkable at that time given the serious risks involved in any opposition to officialdom. By a carefully designed strategy (united stand) and rhetoric (adopting the arguments of the Party, mentioning examples in Moscow) they made their voices heard and successfully stopped the demolition of these Víziváros buildings. MÁTÉ TAMÁSKA The legacy of historic town centres along the Upper Bodva In a study of legacy of the historic centres of six Slovakian small towns along the Upper Bódva: §tós, Lower and Upper Medzev, Jasov, Moldava nad Bodvou and Tuma nad Bodvou (Hungarian names: Stósz, Alsó-, Felsőmecenzéf, Jászó, Szepsi, Torna), the author draws three conclusions on the role of the pre-1960 architectural heritage on modem urban planning: ( 1 ) Where the towns have expanded, some new districts have a new structure, and some follow the historic street pattern. There are more of the latter type, where the old town centre has retained its position, although a preponderance of grid-like new estates can cause the centre to move (Túrna) or expand (Moldava). (2) The architectural qualities of the historic town centre has strongly affected latter patterns of urban growth, a well-established urban core easily dictating
