Deputy mayor Tibor Viniczai explained at a press conference that experts at the Central Architectural Planning Council as well as the Cultural Heritage Protection Office have said the 40-metre-high structure was too high, as it would change the skyline of Székesfehérvár's baroque inner town and it would fail to recreate the effect of the original cathedral. Viniczai argued that the replica would indeed give visitors a feel for the scale of the original cathedral, on which construction started in 1018.
He said the city would once again bring the plan for the replica of the cathedral before the planning authorities, but the final design is to be made by a planner designated by the Architectural Planning Council.
The cathedral is to be part of a built-to-scale replica of the old Székesfehérvár. The project, along with plans for a historical theme park and a square above the city's impressive medieval ruins, is to be the recipient of HUF 2.3bn in European Union Funding.
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
