THE RECONSTRUCTED SANDSTONE PLINTH IN THE CENTRAL HALL OF THE BUDAPEST-NYUGATI RAILWAY STATION

29-07-2022

The renovation of the 145 years old Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest will soon be completed. Although the renovation works affected mainly the monumental roof structure and the connecting glass facades, the wall coverings of the passengers hall have also been restored. The most spectacular part of the coverings is the 140 cm high stone plinth running along the sides of the hall.

The condition of the original yellowish-gray sandstone plinth has significantly deteriorated over time, partly due to unprofessional repairs and replacements made in the past decades.

Since it was not possible to repair the existing heavily weathered and fragmented plinth, the complete reconstruction with the installation of a new sandstone plinth became inevitable.

The original sandstone mined in the 19th century in the area of Besztercebánya (Banská Bystrica) is no longer available. The material of the new plinth is a Spanish yellow-beige sandstone from the area of Burgos, wich has similar properties and appearance as the original one.

During the renovation approximatly 40 m³ of stone material arrived in Hungary in cut-to size blocks produced by our Spanish partner company. Before the on-site installation, the stone blocks received their final surface finish in the company of Pap Lajos stone masonry in Szentendre.

The surface of the plinth elements is typically sawn and bushhammered, the height of the plinth is 140 cm, the thickness of some parts reaches the 49 cm.

The completed stone plinth harmoniously fits into the overall view of the passanger hall, which is defined by the monumental iron structural elements and the glass facade. With its fine workmanship and naturalness the new sandstone plinth significantly contributs to the elegant appearance of the spectacular hall.

On the central platform a remanufactured copy of the original drinking fountain (named after St. Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of travelers) has been built, also made of the yellow-beige sandstone.

SUMMARY:
Project: Stone plinth of the main hall (Renovation of Budapest-Nyugati railway station, 2020-2022)
Stone type: yellow-beige sandstone, medium-small grains (Dorada Urbion - Burgos area, Spain)
Application: plinth, surface sawn/bushhammered
Quantity: 40 m³

You will find below the photo gallery of the new sandstone plinth and drinking fountain.

More information about the sandstone used for the reconstruction is available on our website:
- general information >>
- types of surface finishes >>