Orbán stated that approximately HUF 300 million had been devoted to Hungary’s public art collections in 2013, but his government is looking to the future as well: “At last we have money to renovate our traditional bastions of culture, such as the Academy of Music, the Opera House and the Erkel Theatre.

“There are many who are of the opinion that there is no value in making sacrifices for art in times of economic crisis, but this is necessary to show that, when times of crisis unravel, human life is not just a simple struggle for survival.”