Budapest architecture: Overview

Topics: Introduction* Architectural developments to about 1948 at a glance * The Art Nouveau period * Hungarian architects around 1900 * Bauhaus / New Objectivity * Hungarian architects around 1930 * Jewish cemeteries and architecture * Facade ornamentations * Building of the month * Styles, buildings and architects  * Disclaimer, accountability, resources and literature

Introduction

Julius is not the first one, and will certainly not be the last, who writes about the architecture of Budapest. But it provides his vision and this vision is differently than average.

The idea is that you, as reader of this website, by using text, themes and lots of pictures, get acquainted with interesting buildings and wall ornamentations in the city, often buildings that are not located in the tourist center and which you only discovers, if you spend hundreds of hours of walking through the city. And even than you won't see everything or every detail of a building.

The basis of all articles, is criss-cross, but reasonably orderly, walking through the city, discovering special buildings, then read about it and/or doing research and finally compiling the gathered information into a readable article, without reinventing the wheel. It is literally walking street in, street out, neighborhood to neighborhood, and watching, making photographs, and noting of details. (Photo above: detail of the facade decoration on a building at the VIII. Népszinház utca)

Architectural developments to about 1948 at a glance

Do not expect architecture in Budapest as we know it in, for example, Amsterdam. The attractiveness of the town is mainly caused by the large number of buildings that were built after merging the city in 1873. Of course there are older buildings to find in Budapest, for example in the Castle district, but these are in majority buildings for religious purpose. Also a few buildings referring to the Turkish period in Budapest survived the ravages of time. The in different neo-styles designed buildings, are in majority built between 1850 and 1900.

In particular 2 periods were responsible for thousands of buildings in Budapest: The Art Nouveau period (1895-1915) and the Bauhaus / New Objectivity period (1928-1948). (Photo: one of the remnants of the Turkish occupation: Gul Baba's tomb, built around 1543)

The Art Nouveau period

The enormous increase in population in Budapest, from approximately 400,000 inhabitants in 1870 to about 1.1 million in 1910, led to a massive building boom which was on his peak during the Art Nouveau movement period and this style was widely used at designing of buildings.

Therefore, the city contains hundreds of buildings in Art Nouveau style. Completely constructed in that style (so both outside as inside with ornamentations) or only with using elements of it such as a wall decoration. The architect Ödön Lechner (1845-1914) was the founder of the Hungarian variant of the Art Nouveau and the Museum of Applied Art (1896) designed by him, is one of the first buildings in this style. 

Hungarian architects around 1900

This chapter contains, mid-2011, descriptions of a large number of architects from around 1900. Each architect has a separate page, with a brief description of his career. Additionally, the pages contains biographical data and personal impressions of Julius about the buildings that the architect designed. Finally, each page contains a list of buildings designed by the architect and which nowadays still can be viewed in Budapest.

Coming months, new names will be added and existing pages will be updated if new information becomes available. Because about many architects little or nothing is written or details are incorrect, it is reasonable pioneering. The list on Szia is already the most comprehensive one about several architects, which can be found at Internet.

Bauhaus / New Objectivity 

The number of apartment complexes, villas etc. that can be found in Budapest and built between approximately 1928 and 1948, is very large. It's after the Art Nouveau period the second booming period in the architecture of Budapest. The most of these buildings fall broadly under the heading Bauhaus / New Objectivity architecture. For example, the New Objectivity buildings by the architect Hugó Gregersen and with ornamentations by his wife, the sculptor Alice Lux, can be viewed here.

In 2011 Julius shall add several new pages about Bauhaus in Budapest. This page contains a general introduction to Bauhaus in Budapest.

Hungarian architects around 1930 

This page is an overview of the architects of the Bauhaus / New Objectivity period, whom designed buildings  in Budapest. The page also describes architects from this periode whom designed, partial, other kinds of buildings, such as the architect Herman Ginczler. The format is the same as the chapter on the architects around 1900.

The first few pages are ready, following pages gradually will added in 2011 (and 2012).

Jewish cemeteries and architecture

Budapest has many beautiful Jewish cemeteries, both Orthodox and Neolog. On this page you will get brief descriptions and photographs of the approximately 19 Jewish cemeteries in Budapest which still can be viewed.

Architecturally seen, the two main Neolog cemeteries are in particular from interest. Here you can find beautiful (or gorgeous, in the opinion of Julius) funeral monuments designed by renowned architects such as Béla Lajta, Emil Vidor, Gyula Fodor, and many others. It's the same group of architects of Jewish origin who was responsible for dozens of beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in Budapest.

Facade ornamentations

This chapter contains articles about facade decorations and its makers in Budapest. The first page of this issue concerns:

Alice Lux and Hugó Gregersen

In the 30, the architect Hugo Gregersen designed many buildings in Budapest. Several of them are enriched with wall decorations / sculptures and reliefs designed by his wife Alice Lux. On this page Julius shows you 5 gems from this series. The picture shows a detail of a facade decoration designed by Alice Lux.

Building of the month

Every month around the 15th,  in this chapter, a special building in Budapest is put in the spotlight, by using photos and more or less text. A series that began in October 2010 with an issue about the Fasori Református templon. This beautiful church was designed by the architect Aladár Árkay (1868-1932) and built between 1911-1913.

The most recent issue (April 2011) is about the Schiffer Villla designed by the architect József Vágó (1910-1912). Unfortunately, there is a substantial delay in compiling new pages, partly due to the translation of the website in English and other necessary maintenance work on this website. 

Styles, buildings and architects

This page shall be ready in draft at the end of 2011, and shall describe the most important periods in the architectural history of Budapest until 1948 along with a choice of the buildings and the main architects.

Disclaimer, accountability, resources and bibliography

On this page you can find the rules about the use of the information on the architecture pages on Szia, justification and/or explanation on the content, sources and a bibliography.

(Last update and verification of links: July 23, 2011)