Every Hungarian child knows that the stone lions guarding Chain Bridge are pushed into the adjoining Tunnel so that they don’t get wet in the rain. This urban myth became reality when, during this week’s downpour, the ten-tonne lions really were removed. They will remain in a studio in Újpest until 2022 to get a brush-up while Budapest’s historic crossing undergoes a major overhaul.
This June, the Chain Bridge was completely closed off to pedestrians and road traffic for her long-awaited renovation. A Turkish-era cannonball has already been lifted out of the water, and now the work has reached another stage.
The lions adorning the bridgeheads have just been taken away. The four sculptures, each weighing more than ten tonnes, were delivered to a studio in Újpest, where they are expected to remain until December 2022.
The lions, by the way, were not carved from one block: they consist of several parts, weighing precisely 2.8 tonnes, 5.5 tonnes and 4.3 tonnes, so the entire weight of one statue is about the same as that of a Budapest bus with no passengers on it.
The lions will be cut into pieces in the restoration workshop and then an assessment will be made of their condition. This is also important because limestone crumbles due to environmental influences and holds in dirt, while its surface becomes discoloured. Missing parts can only be replaced after extensive cleaning.
