Page 91 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Hungary

AROUND P ARLIA MENT  89

w Radisson Blu
Béke Hotel
Radisson Blu Béke Hotel
Teréz körút 43. Map 2 E3. Tel (1) 889
39 00. q Oktogon. v 4, 6.
∑ danubiushotels.com/beke
This elegant, historic hotel was
built in 1896 as an apart ment
building, and in 1912 was
restyled by Béla Málnai as the
Hotel Britannia. A mosaic of
16th-century general György
The Neo-Renaissance façade of the Drechsler Palace Szondi was added to the façade
at this time.
8 St Stephen’s Operettas were first staged on In 1978 the hotel was
Basilica this site in the Orfeum Theatre, taken over by the Radisson
designed in the Neo-Baroque style
group, which restored the
Szent István bazilika by the Viennese architects Fellner rich interiors to their former
and Helmer in 1898. In 1922, the splendour. Notable features
See pp90–91.
US entrepreneur Ben Blumenthal are the fine stained-glass
redeveloped the building and windows and frescoes by Jenő
9 Hungarian State opened the Capital Operetta Haranghy in the Szondi Lugas
Opera Theatre, which then specialized Restaurant, which illustrate
Magyar Állami Operaház in the genre. After 1936, this the works of Richard Wagner.
theatre became the only venue The Romeo and Juliet Conference
See pp92–3. for operetta in Budapest. Room and the Shakespeare
The theatre presents light Restaurant are named after the
0 Drechsler Palace opera by international and murals that decorate them.
Drechsler palota Hungarian composers, such The Zsolnay Café serves cake
and coffee on porcelain from
as Imre Kálmán, Ferenc Lehár
Andrássy út 25. Map 2 E4/5. and Pál Ábrahám. the Pécs factory (see p190).
q Opera.
Formerly the State Ballet
Institute, the Drechsler Palace
was originally built as Neo-
Renaissance apartments for
the Hungarian Railways
Pension Fund in 1883. It was
designed by Gyula Pártos and
Ödön Lechner to harmonize
with the façade of the State
Opera House (see pp92–3),
and is of great architectural
importance to the area.
The palace’s name derives
from the Drechsler Café, which
occupied the ground floor
towards the end of the 19th
and in the early 20th century.

q Budapest
Operetta Theatre
Budapesti Operettszínház
Nagymező utca 17. Map 2 E4.
Tel (1) 472 20 30. q Oktogon.
v 4, 6, 70. ∑ operettszinhaz.hu
Budapest has long enjoyed a
good reputation for musical
entertain ment, and its operetta
scene is over 100 years old. Entrance to the Budapest Operetta Theatre on Nagymező utca

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