CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Friedman, Gertrude Nicole |
|---|---|
| Title | THE SHAPING OF NATIONAL IDENTITY THROUGH THE RE-USE, RESTORATION, AND PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN BUDAPEST AFTER 1989 |
| Summary | The 20th century was a tumultuous time in European History. Fighting during World War II left cities across Central and Eastern Europe in disarray, some of which were left in complete ruin. After the war nations tried to rebuild what they had lost, and implement ways to save what had not been ruined in order to preserve their built histories. After WWII UNESCO, Council of Europe and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) as well as individual governments made efforts to discuss and implement new laws that would help to preserve the cultural heritage of Europe. Countries throughout Europe adopted these laws, including those under communist rule in Central/Eastern Europe. Urban reconstruction was a necessity after WWII, but the questions that had to be asked during the process were not necessarily easy ones to answer. As catastrophic as the damage was, it created a rare opportunity for local government officials. The extensive destruction provided planners with the chance to redesign and improve much of the infrastructure of the cities as well as the opportunity to decide what kind of buildings would be erected, and in what style. In addition, structures that were still standing, yet in need of repair, would be able to be reused as necessary in these cities. Though the disastrous effects of World War II on the urban landscape of Europe are undeniable, they were just one of the hurdles in the fight for architectural preservation in the East/Central European region. The economic and political upheaval representative of the immediate post-Socialist transformation period provided numerous obstacles in the field of preservation and reuse, mainly a lack of funds to finance projects. This thesis will explore the re-use, renovation, and preservation of historic buildings in Budapest after 1989, and how the nation of Hungary and its government used these projects to help instill a national identity through the built environment. Drawing on discussions of a search for a national style at the turn of the 20th century, issues of privatization after 1989, and preservation law at different levels, I will eventually use three contemporary case studies to present the case of the beginning of a national identity as represented through the urban landscape. |
| Supervisor | Gabor Gyani, TATIANA MATEJSKOVA |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/friedman_gertrude.pdf |
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