Modernization
The fate of the ruined Neo-Baroque palace was different. In the first years after the war nothing happened. The government made a decision about the reconstruction only in 1948. According to contemporary photos all the important interiors were in a damaged state but their reconstruction was technically possible. The new Communist government of Hungary considered the Royal Palace a symbol of the former regime similarly than GDR leaders who ordered the demolition of the Berlin Stadtschloss. Hungarian leaders were not so radical - they chose "only" the thorough modernization of the interior and exterior of the palace. Architectural trends also played a part in the decision because modernist architects of the era condemned Hauszmann style as "too ornate".
The first modernist reconstruction plan was made by architect István Janáky in 1950. The controversial concept was later a bit modified but the Hungarian government in 1952 asked for help Poland because this country was highly successful in post-war rebuilding of Warsaw and other cities. A delegation of Polish experts, led by architectural historian Jan Zachwatowicz, proposed the rebuilding of the Hauszmann palace.
During the 1950s the palace was gutted and all the interiors were destroyed. Important exterior details were demolished like the main entrance, the Habsburg Steps, the dome, the Royal Stables, the Guardhouse and the Riding School. The remaining façades were simplified. In Lions Court the ornate gates of King's Stairs and Diplomat's Stairs were demolished. The doorway of the Castle Church disappeared together with the church itself. The detailed Neo-Baroque roofs were also simplified and plain new windows were installed. The allegorical sculpture group of the tympanum was destroyed.
The modernist dome was designed by Lajos Hidasi in 1961 after Italian Baroque models. The palace was rebuilt by 1966 but the interior spaces got ready only in the 1980s. Buda Castle became a cultural centre with three museums and the home of the National Széchényi Library.
Read more about this topic: History Of Buda Castle