The renovation of the country’s oldest town hall building has been completed

On Saturday, the refurbished Esztergom Town Hall was officially handed over; a time capsule was laid, the new carillon was unveiled, and two new sculptures on the façade were also revealed. The renovation was started in October 2023 by LATEREX Építő Zrt., during which the following work was carried out

• a full inspection of the existing roof structure, followed by the necessary reinforcements and structural replacements, and then the replacement of the entire roof covering from asbestos cement to natural materials;
• the renovation of the entire façade, including windows and doors, mouldings, decorative elements, stonework and surface finishes.
• New, injected insulation has been installed across the entire external wall structure,
• they installed a panoramic lift,
• A new mechanical services platform was installed by replacing the floor slab of the existing courtyard building.

The values of the past have been preserved through a comprehensive renovation

Ádám Hernádi, Mayor of Esztergom, a city with county rights, outlined the key details of the project at the ceremony. As he explained, the last comprehensive renovation took place in 1904, whilst a major refurbishment of the façade was carried out in 1958.

During the current renovation, 301 wooden windows and doors and 4 historic metal door leaves were refurbished, of which 30 were restored. 255 m³ of concrete was poured, the roof structure was reinforced with 88 m³ of timber, 51.5 km of electrical and low-voltage cabling was laid, 6.5 km of new mechanical pipework was installed, and the interior refurbishment covered an area of 3,150 m². A 2,200 m² attic and mechanical services roof terrace were built, and the building’s 630 m² courtyard was also refurbished. 1,704 m² of natural slate and 809 m² of new tiled roofing were installed, and 2,200 m² of façade render was applied,

3,472 m² of façade surface area was repainted in the original, historical colours identified through research.

As the mayor explained, during the renovation work, we not only preserved but also enriched our built heritage.

New statues stand guard at the gate

Vajk Bánhidy, deputy headteacher of the St Anthony Franciscan Grammar School and Boarding School, unveiled the two new sculptures on the Town Hall façade. When the Town Hall was being designed, there had been talk of installing two sculptures; however, the statues of Prudentia and Justitia intended for the main façade were never completed, so the two niches had remained empty until now, when Mayor Ádám Hernádi and Deputy Mayor Balázs Steindl officially unveiled the allegorical figures guarding the gateway.

Following the unveiling of the statue, those gathered were able to hear the Town Hall’s new carillon, comprising 25 bells and spanning two octaves.