The renovated part of the facade of the City Hall has become life-threatening, reports Magyar Nemzet. The paper obtained documents from which it is revealed that the contractor made serious mistakes during the renovation, so it is feared that larger pieces may also be torn from the wall. According to the newspaper, City Hall employees reported the problems in vain, and instead fired them.
Ancient, untreated wooden window frames and crumbling plaster – this is what the main entrance of the Budapest City Hall currently looks like. On the side of the building facing the City Hall park, the renovation began in 2022 and is still ongoing.
Part of it has already been completed, except that the contractor allegedly made such serious mistakes that part of the renovated facade is currently dangerous for accidents and life
– reported the Hungarian Nation. The paper knows that the plaster did not adhere properly to the building in several parts, so it is feared that pieces weighing tens of kilos could break off. Moreover, Magyar Nemzet was informed by a source familiar with the project that, as they put it, corruption, mismanagement and endangerment also arise in connection with the investment in the renovation of the town hall.
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In 2021, the Budapest municipality announced the winner for the facade renovation. The work was won by EB Hungary Invest Kft., which undertook the work for slightly more than HUF 1.3 billion. Today, however, the total cost of the investment exceeds HUF 2 billion. The Hungarian Nation writes:
despite the nearly HUF 700 million price increase, the problems surrounding the renovation became apparent by the end of last year, and were also reported to the top management of the left-wing town hall.
For example, a so-called facade defect map was prepared, which showed that at the beginning of 2024, the plaster was defective in more than 300 places.
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The competent employees of the office therefore did not sign the certificate of completion. According to the Magyar Nemzet, Karácsony is Gergely’s
instead of correcting the errors with the contractor, they fired the colleague who reported the problems.
According to the newspaper, a woman who had previously worked in a completely different field was put in her place, with whom they signed the certificates and paid hundreds of millions of forints to the contractor. The Hungarian Nation sent questions to the Mayor’s Office regarding the case, but did not receive an answer.
Featured image: The building of the Office of the Mayor of Budapest on Városház Street in District V. The former Invalidus house was built between 1716 and 1727 based on the plans of Anton Erhard Martinelli. (Photo: MTVA/Commission: László Róka)
Tags: Hungarian Nation renovated part facade City Hall lifethreatening
