More Musts
The National Dance Theatre – celebrating dance art
A former monastery and later – from the late 18th century – a theatre, where in 1800 Beethoven himself gave a concert. Ideally located in the vicinity of the Royal Castle, the theatre’s main aim is to find a new audience for modern dance. It presents contemporary dance, folk dance, ballet productions and performances for children. Don’t miss the summer dance evenings in the courtyard: a simply magical experience under the stars.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: I. Színház utca 1-3.
Web: http://www.nemzetitancszinhaz.hu
The Hungarian Parliament - the largest parliament building in continental Europe
This Gothic Revival palace on the Pest riverfront was completed in 1904. You can visit it, and there are guided tours in many languages – register before you go, unless you want to queue for hours! It is very easy to reach by the No. 2 tram: the ‘scenic route’ tramway line. The best photos of it can be taken from the other side of the river.
Let me share a good story, just with you. When the building opened, all the MPs were men, and almost all of them smoked large expensive cigars (smoking is prohibited these days). They spent most of their time chatting in the riverfront corridors, puffing on their cigars, but every now and then they were interrupted by the division bell, calling them into the chamber to vote. They left their unfinished cigars in cigar holders marked with their seat numbers. These are still there.
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Address: V. Kossuth tér 1-3.
Web: http://www.parlament.hu
Heroes’ Square - celebrating the Millennium
This is a square full of history and grandeur! My favourite part is the column in the centre, with the statues of seven chieftains around it: large men on large horses. A historian friend of mine told me that in fact all the graves contain very small men and women, hardly taller than 150cm (around five foot). The statues of rulers in the colonnade have been changed a couple of times. The last five of them – all Habsburgs – were removed and never returned. One of these, of Maria Theresa of Austria, now stands in the foyer of the Museum of Fine Arts, on the left-hand side of the square. And check out the contemporary exhibitions in the art gallery on the right-hand side, or relax in the City Park.
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Address: XIV. Hősök tere
Matthias Church - feel part of history in this giant masterpiece in the heart of the Castle District
This great Gothic church on Castle Hill was built on medieval foundations, but designed almost in whole by a late nineteenth-century architect. Very colourful inside, you should definitely visit it! Superb concerts and lavish weddings are held here. My favourite part of the church is the spire, with its sculpture of a raven holding a ring in his beak. This is the heraldic beast of King Matthias, the great Renaissance king. He married here twice
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Address: I. Szentháromság tér 2.
Web: http://www.matyas-templom.hu
The statue of András Hadik - an equestrian statue with a funny secret
András Hadik was ‘The hussar of hussars’, the favourite soldier of Empress Maria Theresa. In October 1757 he laid siege to Berlin with a single brigade, forcing the city to pay a ransom. He also demanded fifty pairs of gloves for the Empress (on closer inspection back in Vienna all of them were found to be left-handed!). For decades engineering students from the nearby student hostel would come here before their exams. They considered it lucky to touch the statue’s testicles – those of the horse! Test the effectiveness of this yourself!
Castle Hill, on the corner of Szentháromság utca and Úri utca, District I .
National Museum and Magnates’ Quarter
This neoclassical museum dating from 1847 hosts a great exhibition on the history of the Hungarians. Aristocrats built mansions around it in which to stay during the ball season. The museum has a pleasant park with several statues. Not even many Budapesters know that there is a column here which was taken directly from the Forum Romanum.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: VII. Múzeum krt. 14-16.
Web: http://www.hnm.hu
The Museum of Ethnography
The former Supreme Court building that now houses this museum has architectural features of stunning quality. The foyer is great for receptions, balls and interactive programmes for children and adults alike. It is located opposite Parliament.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: V. Kossuth Lajos tér 12.
Web: http://www.neprajz.hu
Museum of Fine Arts
Indulge your senses this summer at the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts! Enjoy the highlights of the outstanding Old Masters Collection with a free guided tour, or join the party every second Thursday at the special ‘Museum+ Events’ evenings, with live music and a tapas bar. Special exhibitions include the Italian landscape paintings by William Turner and Treasures from Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. Have some fun and celebrate culture this summer at this museum!
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: XIV. Hősök tere
Web: http://www.szepmuveszeti.hu
‘House of Terror’ Museum
A unique, no-holds-barred, interactive exhibition on totalitarian Hungary in a building of historic notoriety: the former headquarters of the Hungarian Fascist Party, and later of the dreaded Communist secret police. Less a museum than a site-specific exhibition, this is a favourite with foreigners and anyone interested in our nation’s past.
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Address: VI. Andrássy út 60.
Web: http://www.terrorhaza.hu
The Opera House
We can never tire of the beauty of our classic Opera House on Andrássy út (dating from 1884), where everything – except for the original three-ton chandelier – was created with Hungarian materials. Gustav Mahler was music director from 1888 to 1891, but left amidst plotting and intrigues. The present music director, the famous Adam Fischer (who spent his childhood in a nearby city block), will hopefully stay much longer. Discover the secrets of the building and take a special Opera tour, starting every day at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: VI. Andrássy út 22.
Web: http://www.opera.hu
The Palace of Arts – the city’s new cultural citadel
The main concert hall of The Palace of Arts complex can seat 1,800 people, and the acoustics are so good that – in the words of Zoltán Kocsis, music director of the resident National Philharmonic Orchestra – ‘If a fly breaks wind on stage, you can clearly hear it in the last row, which is bad news for bad orchestras’. It hosts marvellous concerts, festivals, exhibitions, dance performances and children’s programmes, and has a café, bookshop and a fantastic view. Every day is a celebration of culture.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: IX. Komor Marcell u. 1.
Web: http://www.mupa.hu
Budapest Operetta Theatre – traditional melodies and the latest musicals
Budapest was once regarded as the world’s third most important city for operetta, after Paris and Vienna. Nowadays there are strong signs of resurgence as operetta – and musicals – once again enjoy huge popularity in the part of the city which is sometimes dubbed ‘Budapest’s Broadway.’ Famous Hungarian melodies, the rhythm of the Csárdás, and modern Broadway musicals attract the young and old alike.
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Address: VI. Nagymező utca 17
Web: http://www.operettszinhaz.hu
The Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music
Buy tickets for an unforgettable concert, or just have a glance at the grand foyer – an architectural masterpiece in itself. Look out for the brass stubs in some columns, part of a centralised vacuum-cleaning system – the latest technology when the building was designed. This Art Nouveau palace was completed in 1907, and every detail refers to music. Apart from great Hungarian talents, over a hundred foreigners study here. There are two concert halls for the public. The square, which bears the name of the great composer, is an outdoor café paradise.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: VI. Liszt Ferenc tér 8.
Web: http://www.lisztakademia.hu
Ballet in the Opera
The Opera is also the home of classic ballet, from traditional Swan Lake-style performances to recent choreography. The longest-running production is Delibe’s Coppelia, performed continuously since 1951. Classic ballet has shown a strong Russian influence in past decades, but there is also more and more emerging Hungarian talent.
This institution is a member of the Cultural Budapest Group: www.culturalbudapest.com
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Address: VI. Andrássy út 22.
Web: http://www.opera.hu
‘The House of Traditions’ – the authentic dance house
Buda has no theatres, except for the former ballroom – now a public institution – called The House of Traditions, which is home to The National Folk Ensemble, and which prepares recordings and carries out research. It also assists the dance house movement, which has been continuously popular since it was originally imported from Transylvania. On these evenings lovers of folk dance, young and old, gather to learn new moves and enjoy live folk music. Try it yourself!
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Address: I. Corvin tér 8.
Web: http://www.hagyomanyokhaza.hu
‘Duna Palace’
This city-centre mansion used to be one of the city’s three ‘casinos’. Today it hosts folk dance and classical music events. Buy a ticket and enjoy the show in one of Budapest’s most beautifully decorated concert halls!
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Address: V. Zrínyi utca 5.
Web: http://www.hungariakoncert.hu
The Madách Theatre
Few foreigners expect there to be a world class musical theatre in Budapest, but here is one which has already staged half a dozen Andrew Lloyd Webber productions in English, which have been praised by the composer himself on his first-night visits. The theatre – a classic 1950s design, completed in 1962 – is interesting to visit in itself.
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Address: VII. Erzsébet körút 29-33.
Web: http://www.madachszinhaz.hu
The Thália Theatre
Right in the middle of ‘Pest’s Broadway’, this theatre stages events in the Budapest Spring Festival. Originally built as a cabaret venue (the Jardin d’Hiver) in 1913, it has been used over the years by a dozen different companies. It is now a space for visiting productions.
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Address: VI. Nagymező utca 22.
Web: http://www.thalia.hu
The Merlin Theatre
You should visit the Merlin before it disappears. This theatre, club, cultural platform and lunch spot is in Budapest City Hall, in a former boiler house and transformer station. Recently it has widened its scope beyond pure culture to embrace environmental debates, urban design lectures, EU-related events, etc. But it is best known for its English-speaking theatre performances – either created in-house or imported.
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Address: V. Gerlóczy utca 4.
Web: http://www.merlinszinhaz.hu
VAM Design Center
A unique space built over a 200-year-old labyrinth of a wine cellar, modernised by the designer and art crusader Miklós Vincze, who has invested half his life and all his assets in this dream of his. He has created an art space to display his own collection of design objects, to showcase half a dozen young artists whom he personally believes in, and to stage popular visiting shows that attract tens of thousands of people. There is an exciting exhibition every month. And when you are there, don’t miss out on the renovated Király Street – full of interior design and art shops right in the city centre.
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Address: VI. Király utca 26.
Web: http://www.vamdesign.hu
Kogart Ház – gallery and restaurant
It is not easy to miss this three-level gallery in a palazzo in Andrássy Avenue, near the City Park. Business tycoon Gábor Kovács is a trend-setter in the business world; he considers himself a conservative gallery-owner and collector who wants to provide a role model for the business elite – and he has managed to do so. An ideal place to take in an exhibition or have lunch downstairs in the chic restaurant.
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Address: VI. Andrássy út 112.
Web: http://www.kogart.hu
Tűzraktér
This independent cultural centre – which is rather a space – is a great favourite: it hosts programmes, provided they supply their own budgets. Theatre performances, exhibitions, concerts, lectures and a pleasant bar area. This is its second venue, a former school building just two minutes from Liszt Ferenc Square and its cafés.
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Address: VI. Hegedű utca 3.
Web: http://www.tuzrakter.hu
Dovin Gallery
The passer-by is easily misled: one would think that everything can be seen through the large windows, but there are always real discoveries inside. Early and mid-career sculptors are a house speciality. An elegant, serious contemporary gallery: the first of its kind, set apart from the rest – both geographically and conceptually.
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Address: V. Galamb utca 6.
Web: http://www.dovingaleria.hu
The Ernst Museum
On the first floor of a city-centre Art Nouveau block, a great contemporary arts space, with smaller shows. It is a museum in name only, as it has no permanent collection. Lajos Ernst was an art collector and auctioneer who operated here between 1914 and 1937. Check out the Mai Manó House nearby on the opposite side of the street: the meeting point and exhibition space for photographers.
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Address: VI. Nagymező utca 8.
Web: http://www.mucsarnok.hu
Graphisoft Park – the amazing transformation of an old factory
A superb group of office buildings put up around 2000 by the business group specialising in architectural software production. First-class landscaping and public artwork, on part of a former gasworks site.
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Address: III. Záhony u. 7.
Web: http://www.graphisoftpark.hu
The ING Building
This eccentric office building by Erick van Egeraat, a Rotterdam and Budapest-based architect, is a love-it or hate-it affair. It certainly reflects our age: chaos, insecurity, the rejection of conventional solutions. To many people it is the symbol of the new Budapest.
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Address: VI. Dózsa György út 84/a
Lánchíd 19 – an award-winning design hotel
In the basement of this newly-built, highly original hotel there is a medieval water mill – the combination of the old and the new seems always to be a hit in Budapest. It is situated by the Danube embankment at the foot of Buda’s Royal Castle, and what makes it exquisite is the glass panelling that changes the lighting and pattern of light in every room, and is illuminated at night. It won in the ‘Best Architecture/ New built’ category at The European Hotel Design Awards for 2008.
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Address: I. Lánchíd utca 19.
Web: http://www.lanchid19hotel.hu
Hapimag - the Middle Ages crossed with the late 20th century
In 1999 a meaningful building was crated after decades of excavations in the Castle district: a cross between historic architecture and modernism – the kind of hybrid that makes sense. It boasts great surface textures and elegant details, giving it a timeless quality. It is a high-quality Swiss time-share apartment property. Architect: Reimholz Péter.
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Address: I. Fortuna utca 18.
Web: http://tinyurl.com/hapimag
Two flea markets – discovering treasures
It is a real adventure to dive into the good old days of Hungary at the huge Ecseri flea market (covering an area of 16,500 square metres), where you can find everything from furniture to paintings, from the finest quality to junk. Another flea market where everything is for sale every weekend is in the City Park at Petőfi Csarnok (the abbreviation PeCsa is close to an obscenity in the Hungarian language). This is also a great venue for rock concerts.
Ecseri flea market: Nagykőrösi út 156, District XIX, www.csapi.hu
PeCsa flea market: Zichy Mihály út 14 in the City Park, District XI, www.pecsa.hu
Pintér Antiques, with an underground universe
Its two modest shop windows on Falk Miksa utca (the street of galleries), hide a labyrinth of 1,800 square metres. The variety here is tempting for people from various walks of life – for its style, quality and state of repair. It is very near to the Parliament and the other galleries. To its right there is Erdész and Makláry, specialists in early twentieth-century art, and regular exhibitors of émigré Hungarian artists.
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Address: V. Falk Miksa utca 10.
Web: http://www.pinterantik.hu
Two giants on the gallery scene
Judit Virág and Tamás Kieselbach are the two larger-than-life Budapest gallery-owners and auctioneers who created their empires from nothing within about a decade, when museums were too poor to set trends (they still are). They work about one hundred metres from each other. Their success initially hinged on early twentieth-century paintings. Since then Judit Virág has partly moved towards contemporary painting, while Mr. Kieselbach is now partly interested in photography.
Judit Virág Gallery: Falk Miksa utca 30, District V, www.viragjuditgaleria.hu
Tamás Kieselbach Gallery: Szent István körút 5, District V, www.kieselbach.hu
Rare and antique books on Múzeum körút
It is a great adventure to walk and browse on Múzeum körút – the ring boulevard in front of the National Museum – where there are well over a dozen bookshops side-by-side, all specialising in second-hand and rare books. The latter tend to be saved for auctions. The biggest and oldest shop is called Központi. Here you can find everything that can be printed on paper: not only books, but also maps, postcards and prints – in several languages! On Múzeum körút, from Astoria to Kálvin tér.
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Address: Múzeum körút
WAMP – the Sunday art market for local designers
The monthly WAMP design fair has become one of the most important cultural and design forums in Budapest. Jewellery, graphic design, textiles, ceramics, glassware, recycled objects and everything that is trendy and adventurous these days in Budapest. In the summer Erzsébet Square (in the middle of the city centre) and in winter The Gödör Klub hosts the event. WAMP was established with the aim of bringing designers closer to the public and of creating a common platform for unique, high-quality, affordable design objects.
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Address: V. Erzsébet tér
Web: http://www.wamp.hu
Herend – hand-painted porcelain
Herend is a small town near Lake Balaton, south-west Hungary, famous for its fine china products since 1826. These days it employs 1,000 people, and has a catalogue of about 16,000 forms. It can replace anything that has been manufactured there at any time in its history. Its main shop in Budapest is on Andrássy avenue. You’re sure to find a great souvenir there!
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Address: VI. Andrássy út 16.
Web: http://www.herend.com
Zsolnay – its ceramics decorate the most beautiful domes in Budapest
The other celebrated Hungarian china factory has operated in Pécs, south-west Hungary, since 1852. It has made a number of innovations in the field: pyrogranite, for example. This was used on many Budapest buildings, the Museum of Applied Arts being the best known. Zsolnay products are available all over Hungary, but their specialist shop is in Budapest on Váci utca.
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Address: V. Váci utca 19-21.
Web: http://www.zsolnay.hu
Tisza Cipő shoes – more than retro
Tisza shoes are a symbol of the height of the era of ‘soft dictatorship’, when a state-owned factory in the town of Martfű manufactured every fourth shoe produced in Hungary. Their first sports brand was launched in 1971. Some time after 2000 László Vidák, a young businessman interested in selling shoes, saw old Tisza shoes being worn by someone in the street, and he decided to revive the brand. He also sensed the fashion for all things retro which was about to sweep the world. It was an unprecedented success: the revival of a fashion brand from totalitarian times, and profits generated from inverted snobbism.
A great success in Budapest. You should try a pair too – they cannot be bought anywhere else!
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Address: VII. Károly körút 1.
Web: http://www.tiszacipo.com
Vass Shoes – quality hand-made shoes
This lovely small shop is a legend in quality hand-made shoes. László Vass, the founder and leader of this shop and workshop, went back to the roots of his craft to revive a rich old tradition and give the art of shoemaking new impetus in the late twentieth century. Mr. Vass is also a philanthropist, donating his valuable collection to the city of Veszprém.
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Address: V. Haris köz 2.
Web: http://www.vass-cipo.hu
Eclectick – if you are looking for the work of local designers
One can pop into this shop almost every week, as it sells so many great designer clothes and accessories. Apart from its own brand, it sells the creations of other Hungarian designers and designer groups, for example: Aquanauta, Camou, Balkan Tango, Heart and Roll, Red Aster, PUCC, Kriszta Marosi and Kati Nádasdi. This is a good place to check out if you’re looking to buy unique Hungarian design. Opposite Café Centrál.
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Address: V. Irányi Street 20.
Web: http://www.eclectick.hu
Zoob Katti – Hungarian haute couture
This middle-aged lady is so different from her peers: she works for celebrities, but rejects celebrity status herself. She designs theatre costumes, organises events and runs a very large salon which is an experience to visit. If you feel financially under endowed, at least get an idea from her highly original website and read about the inspiration she draws from her family, or visit her store in the city centre.
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Address: V. Szent István körút 17.
Web: http://www.kattizoob.hu
Aquincum Museum - The 1900 years old museum
The museum showing the excavated parts of the former civilian town of Aquincum was opened in 1894. It is only open from the spring to the autumn. It currently is a part of the Budapest Historical Museum. The highlights of the collection, which has around half a million items, are the carved stones, the fresco collection, and a reconstructed, water-operated organ, which was made in 228. Since 2005, there are two „chronoscopes” set up in the area, they were developed by Hungarian engineers. If you look into them, you can see what was there instead of the ruins, according to the current view of historians.
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Address: 1031 Budapest, Szentendrei út 135.
Web: http://www.aquincum.hu
Museum of Agriculture- the biggest in Europe
The biggest museum of agriculture in Europe can be found in the Castle of Vajdahunyad on the Széchenyi-island in Városliget, Budapest in outstanding building. The building was erected originally for the Millennial Exhibition, and it has been used to host the museum of agriculture starting in 1897.Entering the main entrance we proceed through the marble arched court up to the first floor via marble staircase. You can cast a glance over the inside of the building while visiting the exhibitions. You can cast a glance over the inside of the building while visiting the exhibitions. Beautifully painted walls, enormous crystal chandelliers, carved pillars, stained windows can also be seen.
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Address: 1146 Budapest, Városliget
Web: http://www.mezogazdasagimuzeum.hu
Skanzen - Szentendre
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Address: 1052. Budapest, Apáczai Csere János u. 12-14.
Web: http://www.eurama.hu
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