The Opera House is always an experience: coming off the beautiful Andrássy Avenue on the small cobbled streets near the main entrance. The stunning interior and grand staircases. The highest-quality classical music and performance, then the inevitable champagne during the break. In short, the Hungarian Opera House, is a magical place that provides millions of tiny impressions that take us back hundreds of year's in time.
Photo: Balkányi László - WLB
Among other things, Budapest can thank Ybl Miklós, who was
born two hundred years ago, for buildings like the Várkert Bazaar currently undergoing renovation, parts of St. Stephen’s Basilica,the Rácz Thermal Bath and – not surprisingly – the Ybl Mansion at Budakeszi Road. But one of Ybl Miklós' most famous contributions might just be the Hungarian Opera House.
Podmaniczky Frigyes (himself eternalized through what some call ‘Europe’s most complex statue’), called for tenders in 1873 for the building of the Opera House. This was won by one of the greatest architects of European historicism (a type of art that draws inspiration from recreating historic styles) - Ybl. The neo-renaissance building is one of the largest and most beautiful not only in Europe but also throughout the world.
Photo: Balkányi László - WLB
The massive construction project to create the Opera House involved mostly Hungarian craftsmen and artists, including Lotz Károly, Székely Bertalan, Than Mór and Stróbl Alajos. We can thank Lotz Károly, for example, for the two sphinxes, made from Carrara marble next to the main entrance, which recently got an important role in the