Top 10 buildings in Budapest

Top 10 buildings in Budapest, you must visit if you are interested in architecture or history

1. ) House of the Hungarian Parliament

   Probably this is the best-known one among Budapest buildings and also the third greatest building of parliament in the world. It’s a real masterpiece of the Hungarian architect in the 19th century! It was designed by Imre Steindl. The features of the Classicism, Baroque, and Renaissance styles create a harmonic union. Every item of the building is from (the historical) Hungary, except eight marble, Swedish columns. The Hungarian Holy Crown is also served here which is the oldest crown of Europe! You can see it in the amazing Dome Hall.

2. ) House of Manó Mai

   If you don’t insist on the most common sights, you can find some hidden treasures. There’re more of them in Budapest than you can imagine! For example, the House of Manó Mai. He was a royal photographer in the second part of the 19th century. The frontage of his house has copious decoration including some pyrogranite covering made by Zsolnay. The frontage was designed in Neo-Renaissance style. Another interesting fact that the building seems to have ’only’ three levels but in fact, it hides more usable levels inside. Some years after Mai’s death (1917), a nightclub called Arizona opened in the house; it was one of the most famous nightclubs in that age. Nowadays, it’s the House of Hungarian Photographers.

3. ) Saint Stephen Basilica

   If you can visit only one church in Budapest, choose this one! In 1838, there was a terrible, destroying flood in Budapest. The center of the Saint Stephen Square (He was the first Hungarian king under the name I. Stephen. Nowadays the greatest Hungarian holiday on 20th of August is bounded to his name. That day everything is closed and people are celebrating all over the country the whole day. At the end of this day tha national firework is taking place in the middle of Budapest which can be perfectly seen from our dinner river cruises as well. Choose the traditional folklore and operetta show next to your dinner or the romantic live piano show and enjoy the unique experience.) was higher than its environment so the many hundreds people who escaped there survived the disaster. They vowed to build a wonderful church at that site. The basilica was designed by József Hild and, after his death, Miklós Ybl. He was followed by József Kauser. The work ended in 1905.
   The Basilica is one of the highest buildings in Hungary; it’s approximately 96 m. This is the center of the Hungarian Catholic Church and it’s decorated with several paintings and statues which were made by the most talented Hungarian artists of their age.

4. ) Great Market Hall

   Until the end of the 19th century, there were no market halls in Budapest. Before that, vendors set out their products on the wharf, streets, or squares – so wherever they found some free place. However, leaders of Budapest wanted to create new, clean and covered market halls and in 1897, the Great Market Hall designed by Samu Petz was opened. Other halls soon followed this first one (which became a monument in 1977). The roof is covered by wonderful ceramic made by the Zsolnay Manufactory.

5. ) Buda Castle

   Originally, it was a medieval fortress but during the centuries, many parts of it were destroyed and other ones were (re)built. Nowadays, most items have Baroque features but few other ones are original such as the lower part of the Maul Tower.

6. ) Erzsébet Look-Out Tower

   It was built in the 19th century but inspired by the Roman style. The look-out tower can be found on the János Hill which is one of the highest sites of Budapest. Both the building and the view from it are beautiful.

7. ) MÜPA (Palace of Arts)

   It was opened in 2005 and one of the most modern buildings of Budapest. Various and high-quality programs are organized here in the field of music or visual culture, but you can also enjoy theater performances. It’s worth seeing at night because its lights offer an amazing view.
   

8. ) Vajdahunyad Castle in the City Park

   Like many other famous buildings in Budapest, this Castle was also built to greet the millennium of the Hungarian Conquest. In contrast to the other ones, it was designed as a temporary building but the nice creation became so popular that it was rebuilt from permanent materials. In fact, it is a copy of a historical building.

9. ) Academy of Music

   The building is decorated with several symbols both outside and inside so
   if you’d like to discover all of them, you’ll need long hours. On the frontage, you can see statues made from bronze and stone. The colorful glass windows are the works of Miksa Róth. Inner paintings are made by Aladár Kriesch. In 2013, the building received the Construction Industry Award
   and many people adore it worldwide.

10. ) New York Café

    Originally, the building was the seat of an insurance company, but on the street level a café opened at the end of the 19th century. The interior of this café is magnificent and it’s considered to be one of the world most marvelous buildings in this genre. Many of the most important characters of the literary life of the late 19th and early 20th century liked spending their time here.