Featuring the diverse collections of a growing number of cultural and historical collections in Budapest, the Google Art Project provides those who don’t live in Hungary’s capital with an opportunity to enjoy the city’s most stimulating exhibits through the screens of their electronic devices. Exploring art and artifacts in this way certainly doesn’t compare to the real deal, of course, but by browsing the designated page of the Google Cultural Institute, you can explore an incredible variety of edifying exhibits while surrounded by all of the comforts of home.
Launched in 2011, Google Art Project gives cultural enthusiasts a chance to take a virtual tour of the biggest museums worldwide, all just by logging on to a single website. Through this portal, anyone can take a good look at some stunning paintings and other items, and zoom in on pictures to admire the smallest details. The Budapest-based museums and institutions featured online include the Museum of Applied Arts, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Hungarian National Museum, the Petőfi Museum of Literature, the Hungarian State Opera, the Museum of Fine Arts (currently closed for renovations), and the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
The list grows longer and longer each week, with one of the latest additions being Budapest’s long-standing Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda, with a collection that includes a variety of old drawings and photos, along with historic pictures about the bridges of the Hungarian capital, such as the city’s iconic Chain Bridge, which was partially destroyed during World War II. Without a doubt, one of the most intriguing exhibits is the one about the mysterious murder of the famous courtesan Elza Mágnás, who lived at the beginning of the 1900s. Visitors to the website can currently browse 180 artifacts and three exhibitions, and they can even take a virtual walk through the museums’ rooms with the help of Google Street View.
After searching for the Hungarian State Opera, you can admire the stunning ceiling fresco created by Magyar visionary Károly Lotz, but you can also roam the halls of the palatial Museum of Fine Arts, making your way through one floor after the other. The online collection of the Petőfi Museum of Literature showcases such relics as the typewriter of renowned writer Mihály Babits and the ID of legendary Hungarian poet Endre Ady. These are but a few of the random curios awaiting discovery in Hungary’s museums, and we’re glad that Google is helping share them with the world.
