120 Years in 24 Pictures

Twenty-four photos dating from 1894-1971 can be seen on the 12 two-sided panels suspended in the centre line of the tunnel. In several places they are supplemented by contemporary photos taken from the carefully reconstructed original angle.

The history of Kossuth Square interwoven with the rich history of the country would have been difficult to reflect in its entirety in so many photos. However, by providing more detailed information marked in the photos with numbers, the exhibition designers tried to illustrate the visual history of the square as comprehensively as possible, while drawing attention to these interesting changes, whether large or small, as illustrated in the photos.

In addition to a brief history of the buildings and statues on the square, the photos document the devastation of World War II, the atmosphere of state socialism in the 1950s, and the infrastructural interventions, such as the rapid construction of Kossuth Bridge to replace the one blown up during the war, as well as the building of the east-west metro line. A closer look at the photos reveals interesting details about the stones exhibited opposite them. They also show what the stone carvers’ worksite looked like, where the weather-beaten decorations had to be first removed from, and how disparately the building’s side facing the city was repaired during the 1970s.