The Royal Palace in Gödöllő is the only royal palace of the Hungarian Kingdom lasting for nearly a thousand years, which was preserved in such a condition, that following an up-to-date rehabilitation it recalls the authentic image of the royal residence’s golden age. Following stormy historic conditions, at the time the rehabilitation started, thirty years ago, the palace itself was in an extremely damaged, ruinous condition. However, its state allowed for saving the palace, and its damages could be authentically substituted. In the case of the castle the notion of convenience refers to solutions fitted to several demands: 1. Basic convenience – functional layout, heating, lighting, water supply, telecommunication, building management system etc.; 2. Energy convenience – general thermal isolation, window insulation, modern light sources, renewable energy; 3. Special convenience – climate control system (for works of art), museum lighting, UV protection, subsequent water-insulation etc.; 4. Security – video surveillance, access control system, fire protection, security management system; 5. Accessibility. Without any attempt to comprehensiveness, the convenience of the royal palace is reviewed according to the enumerated considerations. Our need for convenience is ambivalent. We do have a need for it, and we can’t really miss the convenience level of modernity. Yet, we are not willing to face the spatial, physical conditions to achieving this convenience. We expect convenience to serve us unobserved, and illusion enclosed by heritage to remain unaltered. These multiple demands raise the heritage philosophy issue as well: complete concealing, composition into an aesthetic milieu, unvarnished display or a new aesthetic value grounded on the relationship between old and new? The answer – the rehabilitation solution applied – always calls for special consideration. Keywords: palace, convenience, safety, rationalization of energy consumption, illusion

Nowadays, it is not primarily due to their originally assigned function that we appreciate historic buildings; however, we should not underestimate the presently extant real value of these works either. The great variety of listed and nonlisted historic buildings is manifested also in their functions, therefore demands and solutions related to convenience also show significant differences in the case of certain historic building types. The study analyses some of the specific needs related to convenience of different buildings serving habitation, public buildings, respectively churches, castles and castle ruins, as well as the solutions given to these problems. Keywords: historic buildings types, needs related to convenience, usage value, heritage

Brief history of the Buda Castle and the construction of the Várkert Bazár (Royal Garden Pavilion) on the basis of the plans of Miklós YBL. The functions and the subsequent neglect of the buildings, the evolution of the biological infection. On one hand part of the World Heritage, on the other hand inclusion on the World Monuments Fund’s list of 100 most endangered sites. In 2011 a government decree was issued on the restoration of the Várkert Bazár building complex. Thus, besides restoring the beauty of the structure and the world heritage site, the area is transformed into a cultural and touristic centre, into a multifunctional area. At the commencement of the restoration biological infection of the buildings is remedied. As a first step necessary expertises are elaborated, then the technology to be applied is conceived, finally the building structures and load-bearing structures are cleaned from fungi and insects. Keywords: Buda Castle, Várkert Bazár (Royal Garden Pavilion), expertise, dry rot fungi, cellar fungi, old-house borer, clearing of fungi, restoration

The built environment is “a living entity that does not cease to change throughout its existence.” The survival of historic buildings depends largely on their capacity to fulfil functions. Whether those for which they have been initially conceived, or discussing functional reconversions, we are witnessing an increasingly acute need for them to adapt to the demands of contemporary comfort. This article focuses on the analysis of the mechanical behaviour of Eclectic roof structures in Transylvania and on the implications a functional / spatial reconversion may have on these types of structures. The investigations will be conducted on typical, unaltered structures, although in practice it is often possible for the engineer to meet specific features, varying from case to case. Keywords: Eclectic roof structures, interventions, refurbishment

This article presents a few highlights from the history of the buildings and landscape design elements of the Károlyi Castle Park in Carei (Satu Mare County), an 18-19th century dendrological park, with traces of landscaped style elements, listed as such as historic monument on the 2004 and 2010 Historic Buildings List. Evolving from a Baroque geometrical style garden (at the middle of the 18th century) into a Romantic landscaped style park (at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th), the apogee of which is represented by the redesign at the end of the 19th century, the parkhas survived, especially through the many valuable tree specimens. The article describes the main built and landscape design elements and their relationship with the settlement, as they were observed by the author in the spring of 2013, in an essay to sketch a brief summary of the park’s current state. Keywords: historical garden, aristocratic residence, geometric style design, landscaped style design, 18th century, 19th century

When confronted to various situations every day, we often wonder what happens with the historic buildings in Romania. Are they protected and how? What chances do we have to pass on to the posterity what we inherited from our predecessors, i.e. an intact and authentic heritage? Is the Law No 422 of 18 July 2001 concerning the protection of the historic buildings really protecting and being implemented? As to structural interventions, are there specific rules concerning the historic buildings in Romania? And if not, what issues is the operator confronted with in the case of such buildings? These are the questions this article tries to find answer to. Keywords: “Grandfather’s House”, authenticity, law on the protection of the historic buildings, rules