Art Nouveau Tour in Budapest
In the wake of architectural curiosities
4 Hours
The turn of the century marks one of the most important epochs, the golden age of Budapest. After the revolution and the war of independence (1848-49), the city reached the crowning point in its development in about 1900. Until 1914 a peaceful period came, which was characterized by the Art Nouveau style in architecture. This imported style had a Hungarian master, who was acclaimed in Europe as well: Ödön Lechner (1845-1914). He dressed up modern functionalism with his characteristic decorative forms, using Eastern motives. He was initially inspired by Indian and Syrian architecture, and later by traditional Hungarian decorative designs. By applying them to three-dimensional architectural elements, he produced a version of Art Nouveau that was specific to Hungary.
Steps of the tour
During the tour in the wake of Budapest’s architectural curiosities, you will see such unique Art Nouveau sights as:
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Museum of Applied Arts, the main work of Ödön Lechner built between 1893 and 1896. It is one of the most characteristic and most representative forms of Lechner's Hungarian architectural style, first of all appearing in the Hungarian folk ceramics, including Zsolnay pottery and majolica, also showing Islamic and Hindu motifs.
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Academy of Music, the flagship of Hungarian musical education and the most prestigious concert venue of Budapest. Its building is one of the most important Art Nouveau landmarks in the city. It was designed by architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl. The central theme of the façade is a statue of Liszt, by Alajos Stóbl, and the original stain glass windows were painted by Miksa Róth.
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Former Török Bank, now residential building with a huge mosaic on top of the facade. Build after the project by Henrik Böhm and Hegedüs Ármin, the building is characterized by the 40 meter mosaic, in which is represented Patrona Hungariae in her throne, surrounded by the the most relevant characters in the history of Hungary.
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National Bank, former Hungarian Royal Postal Savings Bank, characteristic of art nouveau with its colourful glazed tiles – from the Zsolnay factory – and the folk art flower motifs on the battlement-style gables.
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Bedő House with special facade and a lot of majolic ornamentation.
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Kőrösy House, with an image of a woman in red dress on the tiles in the upper part of the facade.
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Four Seasons Hotel, former building of Gresham Insurance. The magnificent palace exemplifies the Art Nouveau style with its smooth façade that draws attention mainly to the curved roofline, the bay windows and the pilasters along the front of the building. The palace also features beautiful ironwork, including two magnificent peacocks at the gate of the courtyard, which are typical of Art Nouveau.
Rest with coffee and cakes: Café Páva in Four Seasons Hotel
Optional
Bathing in Gellért Spa - characteristic spa built in the Art Nouveau style.
The Gellert Bath and Hotel itself was built in the preceding decades and opened its doors in 1918. Outdoor pools were added later on, and today it combines modern technical developments with rich historical heritage. This is Budapest's finest thermal bathing complex, still displaying original art nouveau fittings, colourful mosaics, marble columns and stained glass windows and statues.
Details
- oldest spa hotel in Budapest, old name: “Bath of the Virgins”
- the foot of Gellert Hill was the site of a hospital in the Middle Ages, by the Turkish period there was a bathing place here.
- indoor/outdoor bath
- slightly acid, hydrocarbonated, radioactive water with minerals
- good for bathing, drinking, inhalation cure for rheumatic, articulatory diseases.