Art Nouveau and pre-modern (late 19th and early 20th centuries) See it to believe it (brought to you by architect Kálmán Reichl). This oversized block of a high school jettisoned into a narrow downtown street is the most amusing expression of this idea: the rusticated lower levels and the brick facade culminate in several Greek temples resting atop the building, complete with stocky Doric columns. Photo: Tas TóbiásĬlassical architecture resurfaced in the early years of the 20th century to counter what many thought were decadent and individualist overreaches of the Art Nouveau. Classical forms, the reasoning went, projected enduring humanist values. The brick facade of this enormous high school culminates in several Greek temples resting atop the building (1911-1913). #2 - Church of Mary Magdalene (mid-13th century) Unfortunately, many Baroque and other historical homes were knocked down along the way. Third, as part of a massive urban development program in the 19th century, whole downtown neighorhoods were reduced to rubble to make way for grander buildings and a more systematic urban environment (similar to Haussmann's remake of Paris). For example, both the Gothic-Renaissance Buda Castle and the Gothic synagogue of the Castle Hill were demolished. Second, many medieval buildings were destroyed during the 1686 siege of Buda when the Christian Holy League clashed with the Ottomans to retake the city. Apart from putting up a few hammams, the Ottomans simply converted the existing housing stock to fit their needs, for example churches into mosques. First, new constructions weren't a priority when Ottoman Turkey occupied the city (1541-1686) since Hungary was on the western fringes of the empire. Middle Ages to the early 19th centuryįew buildings in Budapest predate the 19th century for three main reasons. The nearby Aquincum Museum has more Roman ruins. (it's closed on Mondays) the amphitheater is accessible at all times. You can visit Thermae Maiores for free from 10 a.m. A 15-minute walk from here is the Aquincum Military Amphitheater, once a 13,000-capacity stadium – again, no Colosseum – used for gladiator combats and chariot races. No rival to the Baths of Caracalla, but Thermae Maiores, pictured above, was a vast public bath in Aquincum complete with several steam rooms and a gym (and today with a concrete overpass running above it). Today, a concrete overpass runs above it. The remains of the Roman era baths complex in Budapest, Thermae Maiores. While Budapest's Roman ruins are relatively small, they're accessible for free, easily reachable from downtown by public transport, and usually deserted, so you can have these two-thousand-year-old remains to yourself. Aquincum, situated in the northern part of today's Budapest, was the capital of Lower Pannonia province with a population of 40,000 in its heyday. In the 1st century CE, the Roman Empire extended to the Danube, with the river serving as its eastern border. The Center of Contemporary Architecture (KÉK) offers thematic walking tours led by competent locals. The Walter Rózsi-villa, home to the Hungarian Architecture Museum, is located inside a wonderful modern building from the 1930s with original Marcel Breuer furniture on exhibition. The city has an excellent architecture center, Fuga, also selling English-language books about Hungarian architecture. I've grouped them chronologically below and this map will help you find them. Budapest's architecture spans Roman ruins and award-winning contemporary buildings, with plenty of treasures in between.
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