Olivia Meng
Methods and Analysis
The River Keeps The Score: Religiously Relinking to Budapest's Danube River
Throughout history, humans have lived and built alongside rivers, finding meaning in their presence. ‘The Danube River in Budapest, Hungary, holds profound spiritual significance, but the connection between the citizens and the river has faded over time due to urbanisation. The project aims to rekindle this bond, fostering a deeper religious awareness and appreciation for the river as a living embodiment of Budapest's past, present and future.
Situated on two islands in the river, the design is comprised of a museum, as a place of revelation and rediscovery, and a chapel, as a sanctuary for contemplation. Emphasising the circulation, the spaces reveal the river through moments of contrast: covering, revealing and shaping the visitors’ perception.
Religion, as understood here, seeks to reconnect what has been separated: reuniting humans with their environment. The project reignites the river and its islands’ significance for the collective urban landscape and memory of the city of Budapest.