Budai Vigadó, Budapest, Credit: MrAstonishing/Common

Budai Vigadó

Budapeste, Hungary

This building was erected (between 1898 and 1900) on the site of a former arsenal, as a result of an architectural competition. The architects, Aladár Arkay and Mór Kallina were to face a rather demanding project: to design a building in a pre‐existing block which should function both as a theatre and a library in order to satisfy the expectations of the residents of Buda.

There used to be a restaurant on the first, and a café on the ground floor of the Vigadó. The relatively simple eclectic appearance of the building is compensated for by some magnificent art nouveau decoration inside: an impressive hall, the wide marble staircase and pillars, a spacious richly‐decorated theatre hall and a splendid 306‐seat theatre. Nowadays, performances of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (approximately 120 annually) can be seen here.