Opera House (Opera)
Budapest

The Hungarian State Opera House, located on Andrássy út, which leads to Heroes' Square, is one of the grandest buildings in Hungary. It is definitely worth a visit even for non opera-lovers! Apart from during performances, the interior can be viewed as part of a sightseeing tour.

The interior, with its ornamental marble stairway and frescoes, is one of the richest in Budapest- the auditorium is among the most beautiful in Europe. Its large, round ceiling fresco is the work of Károly Lotz, Hungary's most famous master of the genre. The fresco depicts Olympus, so with a seat on the top balcony you really are "among the gods"!

The architect of the Neo-Renaissance building was Miklós Ybl, one of Hungary's most prolific and successful 19C architects. Construction began in 1875 and took nine years due to financial problems, even though much of the funding came from Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef.

For the grand opening of the Opera in September 1884 the conductor was Ferenc Erkel, the institution's first musical director and the creator of several operas with Hungarian national themes.

In 1981 the building was closed for major renovations which involved the use of 300,000 small pieces of 23-carat gold leaf. Glittering in its original brilliance, the Opera House reopened on 27 September 1984, the exact centenary of its original opening.