After 124 years, the statue of the Archangel Gabriel has been removed

The statue of György Zala has been watching over our country for 124 years, and now, for the first time since its erection in 1900, it is being removed from its place. The statue of Archangel Gabriel is being restored on behalf of Városliget Zrt. and the National Heritage Institute. Layher scaffolding was erected to a height of 34 metres for the construction of Belvárosi Építő Kft. construction, commissioned by Museum Complex Kft..

Monument to the nation

It was in 1881, at the peak of Budapest's development into a world city, during the enthusiastic millennium of Hungary's existence, that the idea of erecting a monumental memorial symbolising Hungary's past and national unity was first raised. The House of Representatives finally took up the issue in 1894, and the end of Andrássy Avenue was chosen as the site for the monument - but first the Gloriett, designed by Miklós Ybl, had to be demolished, and since then it has stood on Széchenyi Hill, the highest peak of Sváb Hill.

György Zala and Albert Schickedanz were commissioned to design the nation's pantheon. While the architect Schickedanz was responsible for the colonnade and the central column, the sculptor György Zala was in charge of the statues. Due to the size of the latter, Zala had to use a warehouse in the western station for the work, where he modelled the statues of the Archangel Gabriel and the equestrian statue of Árpád. By June 1897, the statue of Gabriel was finished, and the casting of the statue was soon begun. After some interference - the engineering office decided that the column would not withstand the wind load, so the original was demolished and the limestone from Salskút was replaced by the harder limestone from Harasz - the statue of the Archangel Gabriel was completed in 1900 in the Gladenbeck bronze foundry.

Messenger of God

At the top of the 36-metre-high Corinthian column stands the Archangel Gabriel, which was an unqualified success: the year it was erected, it won the Gran Prix at the Paris Exhibition. The statue of Gabriel is unique in Hungary:

it symbolizes the establishment of the Christian state in the Middle Ages, the divine origin of royal power, and its symbols proclaim national independence and the idea of European integration.

As a genius, the outstretched-winged Gabriel stands above Andrássy (Sugár) Avenue, the new symbol of the modern metropolis, with the Hungarian crown and double cross in his hand. The 4.8 metre tall bronze statue has stood guard over the Hungarian nation through two great wars and numerous revolutions and political changes, but after more than 120 years of erosion it is now in need of major restoration.

Simple and elegant geometry

As Gusztáv Pruzsinszki, the engineer who designed the scaffolding (Pruzsinszki Terv Kft.), informed our newspaper: he and his colleagues at Belvárosi Építő Kft. were commissioned to build scaffolding that would allow access to the statue of Archangel Gabriel. The aim was to examine the statue and prepare for its removal. The statue was then removed and transported to the restoration site. The scaffolding will then be dismantled and rebuilt as the restoration nears completion so that the statue can be lifted back into place. For this purpose, a Layher Allround space scaffold and a Layher Bridge system were selected for the bridging.

"The biggest challenge in the design was to manage the wind load, as Andrassy Avenue is practically an open wind tunnel from Heroes' Square to Oktogon. The solution (as usual in such cases) was to place ballasts, and the scaffolding's footprint was also influenced by the wind load," said Gusztáv Pruzsinszki."

László Besey carried out the structural analysis of the monument, he prepared the draft heritage protection plan. He was therefore the main person consulted by the structural engineer on the shelters.

"The basic requirement," Gusztáv Pruzsinszki explained, "was that the structure should not be fixed to the column protruding from the monument. To this end, in consultation with László Besey, we defined the zones on the base of the monument where the structure could be supported."

As we have learned, although bridging over the statues of the Guides was not a requirement, due to the load-bearing capacity of the structure and the limited space, it was decided that it was easier to bridge over the statues than to look for a way to span between them.

Airy looking, yet weighing 85 tonnes, the Layher scaffolding

The available space was limited, the client had predetermined the work area and for obvious reasons it could not be fully occupied by a stand. "The final geometry was determined in consultation with the contractor, Belváros Belváros Bau," the designer added.

The resulting structure weighs roughly 85 tonnes and consists of approximately 15,000 elements.

The height of the scaffolding is nearly 34 metres and the floor plan measures 22 x 27 metres. Access to the scaffolding is provided by a GEDA lift, for which an escape route was constructed using ladder access elements.

Summing up, the designer added: "I think the structure is interesting in itself, but the most special thing about it is the place where it was built. To design in such a privileged place, in every respect, is always a great honour and responsibility. I hope to have the opportunity to do something similar again!"