ABSTRACT
The weathering of limestones in polluted urban areas has been studied in detail in the past decades (Amoroso and Fassina, 1983; Fassina, 1991; Viles, 1993; Smith et al., 1994). Research generally focuses on the description of processes and decay products of one type of limestone. Differences in weathering of different limestones exposed to the same pollution regime have tended to be studied using small test blocks over a short period of time (the
Land Reconstruction and Management Vol. 3, 2004, pp 73-92 ISBN 1-57808-295-1 Science Publishers, Inc.f Enfield, USA
'scale problem' identified by Smith, 1996). The long-term effect of urban pollution on very different limestone buildings has not been analysed in such detail. Budapest provides an excellent 'natural laboratory' with public build ings that were constructed from different limestones. This study compares the urban decay processes of two different limestones, both of which were extensively used as building stones in Budapest during the turn of the century when urban development in Budapest accelerated. Budapest provides an excellent test site because of the severity of air pollution, which is aggravated by the effect of continental climate.
