Time capsule from 1969 found in clock tower of Budapest City Hall

Prior to the recently started renovation project, the building of the Budapest City Hall was last refurbished in 1969. The staff of Én Budapestem found out from a newspaper from that time that a time capsule had been placed in the clock tower of the building, or more precisely at its top, during the renovation 56 years ago. They have now taken it down and, along with experts from the Budapest History Museum, have been able to retrieve the capsule, which contains various interesting items.

According to the local government's paper, at the time, it was an article in Új Magyarország that reported that a few items had been placed at the top of the tower for future generations. They placed documentation on the restoration of the city hall, a description of the work process, some coins, and copies of newspapers in the copper sphere under the lightning rod at the top of the tower. The staff of Én Budapestem had read the article about this years ago, but had to wait until now to view these items themselves.

After the sphere was opened, the August 23, 1968 issue of Népszabadság, the July 22, 1968 issue of Magyar Hírlap, and a few contemporary coins were found. The most valuable documents, however, are the blueprints for the renovation of City Hall—these were not unfolded immediately after opening the capsule, as the staff of the Budapest History Museum will first examine them more thoroughly.