The Táncsics Prison in the Buda Castle district is expected to be returned to the Hungarian state next spring, once the Budapest embassy of the United States moves into its new building, where a topping out ceremony was held on Thursday.

Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, ambassador of the United States of America in Budapest, called the full reconstruction of the building at Szabadság square, adjacent to the current embassy building, a milestone. After completion, the foreign representation can operate in a single building complex. She expressed her pleasure that the United States can return the building once housing the Táncsics Prison to the Hungarian people.
Zsuzsa Németh, minister for national development, called the topping out ceremony a symbol of excellent Hungarian-American relations. She noted that in addition to the Táncsics Prison, which plays an important historical role in Hungary, the real estate exchange agreement also provides for the transfer of the properties located on Béla király road and on Széchenyi quay. In exchange for the properties currently in American ownership, Hungary will renovate and hand over the building at 10-11. Szabadság square to the American party.

The minister noted that the full reconstruction of the Secession-style building at Szabadság square speeded up after the new government took office in 2010. She said that the change of government also resulted in a shift in state asset management, adding that “the state can be a good owner”.
In connection with the real estate exchange process commencing in 2006, Zsuzsa Németh praised the United States’ goodwill, openness and its willingness to compromise.

Balázs Gombos, managing director of the building contractor HDM Ltd., illustrated the scope of reconstruction with figures, noting that material weighing twenty thousand tonnes — corresponding to the weight of two Eiffel towers — was removed during demolition. Eight thousand cubic metres of concrete and one thousand tonnes of reinforcing steel were used for building.
Since environmental consciousness is applied to construction and the building, a birch tree was placed on the highest point of the building at the topping out ceremony.

Péter Márton, chief executive officer of Hungarian State Holding Company Ltd., emphasised that construction — launched one year ago — is progressing at record speed, while the structural engineer of the American party qualified the works as of excellent quality on an international scale.

(Ministry of National Development)