The good and the bad

IMG_5119, originally uploaded by bratislavadavis.

I began my Sunday with a view of the Parliament up close before seeing the castle from the lower lip of the river. The Parliament is the largest building in Hungary and was built in a neo-Gothic style from 1884-1902 based on the House of Parliament in London. It is 880 feet in length and 315 feet high and has a staggering 691 rooms.

I went back to the Old Synagogue to see the Holocaust memorial and Jewish Museum. The memorial which is a faux tree made out of copper with the names of victims is very touching. The Jewish Museum was disappointing as there was little on the rich history of the Jewish people of Hungary and it focused more on ceremonial objects.

The newly christened Holocaust museum was a pleasant surprise. It did a nice job not only of discussing the fate of the Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, but it also provided a detailed history of that time. Hungary was invaded by the Nazis in March of 1944. But it was the Hungarian government itself that swiftly deported Jews living in rural areas in record time. Around 600,000 Jews perished during the Holocaust. The advancement of the Russian army put a halt to the deportation of the Jews of Budapest. A special exhibit was devoted to Anne Frank. I only had an hour since I was on a tight schedule, so I felt rushed at the end.

There is a constant debate amongst natives in Budapest on what is the defining building in the city. Many will choose Parliament, but the State Opera House is stunning as well and it has had some significant music directors as well. Some of the most prominent directors include Ferenc Erkel who composed what is considered the Hungarian national opera Bank ban, Gustav Mahler, and Otto Klemperer.

The State Opera House had its first performance in September of 1884. It was designed by Miklos Ybl, the most foremost Hungarian architect of the 19th century. A practitioner of historicism, he loved to build in the neo-Renaissance style. The State Opera House is Ybl’s most prominent work, but he also constructed St. Stephen’s Basilica along with apartments and palaces for the nobility.
One can see the influence of the aristocrats: at the entrance, the ostentatious main staircase has a sweeping curve arc allowing women to show off their new evening gowns. Below at the main entrance, there are wrought-iron street lights that light up the staircase.

The central stage is indeed grand with a moveable stage and hydraulic apparatus. Gold decorates the entire hall giving it an ornate facade.
Upstairs is the royal box which can be viewed through a window from the outside. The royal box is placed centrally in a circle and has sculptures of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass- the four voices used in an opera.

On the top floor is the main hall where a massive bronze chandelier that weights 3050 kilograms resides. The chandelier shines upon an impressive fresco of the Greek gods on Mount Olympus by Karoly Lotz- one of Hungary’s more well-known artists. Lotz was best known for his frescos, but he also painted pictures in a neo-classical manner. One of his most famous portraits is a woman bathing which is found in the Hungarian National Gallery inside the castle. The painting is of a beautiful nude modeled after the French painter Ingres.