The Ethnographic Museum closed in December 2017 in the stately former Palace of Justice on Kossuth Lajos tér, right opposite Parliament. Now, the first time in its more than century-old history, the collection is moving into a home designed according to its needs, in which there will be more than three times the exhibition space than its former surroundings.
In the international tender for the design of the new building, Hungarian firm Napur Architects came ahead of star names such as Zaha Hadid with its arched, skateboard-like plan, mostly underground, using the park as its roof.
According to an announcement by Liget Budapest, overseeing the transformation of City Park as a whole, not only is work progressing well on the surface, about 60 percent of the building will be located underground, where the basic mechanical and electrical installations will soon be completed. The project manager has posted photos and a video to demonstrate.
The easily accessible, landscaped green area covering the roof will await visitors as a community area, offering a panoramic view of the park. The exhibition halls will be located on the level below the ground floor, where the floor space will be almost 7,000 square metres.
On the ground floor, the building splits into two sloping parts of the building, between which is the ’56 monument and the huge space around it, which are directly connected to the interiors. These two arched wings are divided between communal and exhibition functions.
The museum should be ready to welcome visitors by early 2022.
