Hungarian State Opera House

Budapest, Hungary

The Budapest opera house is a beautiful Neo-Renaissance building opened in 1884. Construction included the use of marble and frescos by some of the best artisans of that era. Designed by Miklós Ybl, one of Europe's leading architects in the mid to late 19th century, the Budapest Opera House quickly became one of the most prestigious musical institutions in Europe. Many important artists performed here, including Gustav Mahler, who was also the director for three seasons.

The Budapest Opera House is considered to be amongst the best opera houses in the world in terms of its acoustics, and has an auditorium that seats 1200 people. It is horseshoe-shaped and, according to measurements done by a group of international engineers, has the third best acoustics amongst similar European venues (after the Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera House). The statue of Ferenc Erkel stands in front of the Opera House. He was the composer of the Hungarian national anthem and the first music director of the Opera. The other statue in front of the Budapest Opera is of Ferenc Liszt, the well-known Hungarian composer.

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Address

Dalszínház utca 8, Budapest, Hungary
See all sites in Budapest

Details

Founded: 1884
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Hungary

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
visitbudapest.travel

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Matthias Church (1,8 km)
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St. Stephen's Basilica (0,4 km)
Hungarian Parliament Building (1 km)
Hungarian National Gallery (1,6 km)
Buda Castle (1,6 km)
Heroes' Square (2 km)
Citadella (2 km)
Dohány Street Synagogue (0,8 km)


Memento Park (9,6 km)
Esztergom Basilica (40,8 km)
Esztergom Castle (40,7 km)
Vác Cathedral (30,8 km)
Bishop's Palace (30,7 km)
Gödöllo Palace (24 km)
Visegrád Castle (32,9 km)
Nagytétény Castle (13,6 km)
Savoy Castle (38 km)

User Reviews

Ralph Higginbotham (20 months ago)
We did the tour of the Opera house. It's a beautiful building with an interesting history. The mini concert for the tour group at the end was wonderful. Professional singers from the state Opera, not amateurs.
Austin Chi (20 months ago)
Gorgeous Theatre! Sadly it is under renovation for the time being however they offer tours to see the inside of the theater which include a short 15 minute “demo” by two opera singers. Just be cautious if you buy show tickets from the Hungarian opera house website, those tickets are actually for shows at the Erkel theater, not the Hungarian state opera house.
Nora Szopory (21 months ago)
As we visited in January 2019 I couldn't see a show because the building is under renovation. However, there is a guided tour through the building that excludes the main auditorium, because of the renovations. As a compensation there was a short opera performance in the foyer, which blew me away. The tour is very reasonable, and very informative, hopefully next time we come, we can see a show. Highly recommend
Nicola Such (21 months ago)
Stunning opera house. Extravagant and breathtakingly beautiful. Be aware it's under renovation this year so performances are held at another local theatre. Don't miss out on the tour though, it's interesting and performers are spectacular!
J.C. van Doesburg (2 years ago)
Beautiful country, beautiful city. Very rich history. Visiting the Opera House is near mandatory. It is located opposite Castle Hill, on the other side of the Danube. Find the many authentic restaurants and walk the streets at night.
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