BME Researchers Examining The Condition of One of Budapest’s Most Famous Tourist Attractions

Structural engineers and surveyors at BME are conducting external crack inspections, laboratory analysis of material samples, and computer modeling to determine whether the column supporting the statue of the Archangel Gabriel on Heroes’ Square will continue to be able to support the statue, currently undergoing restoration. According to Professor Ákos Török, head of the Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, who is leading the project, the results so far are encouraging; the 36-meter-tall column seems to be in relatively good condition.

The fact that the Corinthian column may still be capable of supporting the nearly 4-ton bronze statue after 125 years is partly due to the expertise of the BME. The original column failed the load test, prompting then Prime Minister Kálmán Széll to ask BME to examine the stone material. Based on this expert opinion, a different type of limestone — one that the Romans had already used, for example, in construction projects at Aquincum — was chosen as the material. 

“It probably would have caused problems if the original had remained, but at the very least, it wouldn’t have lasted this long without being replaced,” 

said Ákos Török.

The examinations are continuing, surface cleaning will take place soon, but the work does not end there. It is already clear that the pedestal itself — and even the foundation — will need to be examined, because the concrete has cracked beneath the equestrian statues of the Seven Chieftains of the Hungarians. No sign can be taken lightly: when the Gabriel statue was removed, it turned out that one of the bronze floral ornaments had completely corroded — it was only by sheer luck that it did not fall from a height of 40 meters.

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photos: Ákos Török
cover photo: Marek Mróz / Wikimedia Commons