Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Allami Operahaz)

Budapest’s main opera house is a lavish neo-Renaissance confection with an interior so ornate that it could only have been built at the height of the wealthy Austro-Hungarian Empire. The opera house was designed by the Hungarian architect Mikós Ybl, while the Baroque ornamentation, sweeping marble staircases, the frescoed ceilings, vast chandeliers, rich velvets and gilded tiers of seats in the auditorium were mainly contributed by Károly Lotz and Bertalan Székely. It opened with great fanfare on September 27, 1884, in the presence of the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I and in time for the Millennium celebrations of 1896.

Gustave Mahler was director at the opera house between 1887-1891 and its reputation as one the world’s leading cultural houses was cemented. After decades of riding high on the international stage, the proud opera house fell into disrepair under the Communist regime in the 1970s. It was subject to a lengthy restoration and re-opened for business exactly 100 years later on September 27, 1984.

It’s now home to the Hungarian National Opera and National Ballet companies as well as the Budapest Philharmonic and concerts and performances are held most days from September right through to the end of June. The repertoire includes Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Bizet and Verdi, and there are regular ballet performance and master classes taken by contemporary Hungarian stars. The opera house’s auditorium has 1,261 seats and is considered to have some of the finest acoustics in the world.

Practical Info

The box office is at Andrássy Avenue 22 and opens daily 11am-5pm, or until the performance begins. Guided English-language tours take place daily at 3pm and 4pm; tickets can be bought from the Opera Shop. Metro Line 1 to Opera or bus no. 105.