We took a look at how the refurbished Igazságügyi palota building turned out

„The decision to renovate the building was taken in 2016. This shows that a major investment takes a long time; on this scale, each government is only ever able to complete projects started by its predecessor,” said Dávid Vitézy, Minister for Transport and Investment, in his opening remarks at the Igazságügyi palota press tour. From today, the building will be open to all interested parties for four days; then, following the final touches, its original owner, Kúria, is expected to take possession on 15 March 2027.

„A high-quality historical reconstruction has taken place here,” emphasised Dávid Vitézy. „I had made a few harsh critical remarks regarding the construction work taking place at the Buda Castle. Those criticisms do not apply to this building in any way. Here we see the result of a sincere, meticulous restoration that is scientifically sound from every perspective in terms of heritage conservation. This is exactly what should be done with Hungary’s valuable historic monuments.”

The 41 billion forint investment is in line with the plans set out in Archi-kon Építésziroda and will be carried out under the Market Építő Zrt. project, which will preserve the building – currently in poor condition and burdened by previous alterations – for many decades to come, whilst creating workspaces that meet modern requirements for the Court of Appeal’s more than 400 employees.

The aim was to carry out an authentic restoration

Exactly 130 years ago, in 1896, Franz Joseph inaugurated the Palace of Justice, designed by Alajos Hauszmann, which, although smaller than the Parliament Building, is nonetheless its worthy counterpart in architectural terms: the finest masters of the turn of the millennium – Károly Sennyei, Alajos Stróbl and György Zala; the painter Károly Lotz; and the cabinetmaker Endre Thék. Hauszmann’s court building, in the Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque styles, is one of the outstanding works of 19th-century Hungarian architecture.

The aim of the renovation is to authentically restore the original layout and architectural details of this building, which is of outstanding architectural and symbolic value, and to create a suitable working environment for Kúria, which is returning to the Palace of Justice. During the restoration, which renewed the building’s external and internal appearance and technical condition whilst restoring its original function, the statue of Justitia was returned to the central hall, the original furniture preserved by Kúria was reinstalled, and the original inscription on the main façade was also restored.

As we learnt at the press conference: the restoration of historic buildings will not be halted by the change of government: the reconstruction of the Agrárminisztérium building will continue, and KBM is determined to ensure that the expertise gained from Steindl Imre Program is utilised in the restoration of Iparművészeti Múzeum.