AN important cultural link has been established between Ballarat and Budapest with the unveiling of a replica of the Shakespeare statue, which stands outside Civic Hall.
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The original William Shakespeare statue was commissioned by the City of Ballarat in 1959 and created the following year by Hungarian-born Australian sculptor Andor Meszaros.
The City of Ballarat last year gave approval for a replica to be made, which was unveiled outside the Hotel Marriott on the Danube Promenade in Budapest on April 23 this year, the 439th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and the 387th anniversary of his death.
Australian ambassador in Budapest, Leo Cruise, unveiled the replica statue and delivered a message of congratulations from the Mayor, Cr David Vendy, on behalf of the councillors and citizens of Ballarat.
The project to duplicate the statue was begun by Mr Karoly Nagy, who visited Ballarat in the late 1990s and was enthralled by the sculptor's homage to the Bard.
A committee was formed to raise funds for the project, including a donation of one million Forints from Dame Elizabeth Murdoch, mother of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
With the planned redevelopment of the Civic Hall, Cr Vendy said both Ballarat's Shakespeare statue and that of Sir Walter Scott would be given a more prominent position near to the pavement.
"Both statues are very significant to Ballarat and there'll be here forever, forming an important feature of the new building," he said.
"They'll soon be more out there amongst the people of Ballarat and a lot easier to see; it's unfortunate that they're a bit hidden away at the moment."
