Budapest Museum of Fine Arts to expand underground

Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts plans to expand toward Heroes Square in a way that could require the heavy car traffic outside the institution to be re-routed, the museum director said yesterday. There are also plans to mark the underground complex with an above-ground structure, similar to the glass pyramid of the Louvre.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has given its support to the plans, which would create an additional 6,000 square meters of useful space, reports hirado.hu.

Above ground, a new Tourist Center on Heroes Square would include restaurants, cafes, ticket sale points, museum shops, and an activity center for children, while additional exhibition halls and conference rooms would be built underground.

Museum director László Baán said traffic on Heroes Square would have to be re-organized or even banned from the area after the construction is finished.

The project would cost HUF 4.5-5 billion (€18-10 million), and be completed by 2010. The funds would be provided by the European Union and the gallery itself.

The museum experienced its most successful year in 2006, said Baán, receiving over 600,000 visitors.

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