Hungary celebrates 150 years since the birth of Budapest

25-07-23

Hungary has prepared a series of events to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the unification of Budapest. The city of Veszprém, which holds the title of European Capitals of Culture, will host the Street Music Festival featuring numerous international artists among other cultural events.

150 years ago, Hungary celebrated the birth of Budapest, its tourist capital, which came into being after the unification of the cities of Buda, Pest and Óbuda. In just a few decades, this small city has become one of the largest, most populous and modern cities in Europe thanks to its markets, thermal baths, luxurious literary cafés, grand architecture and lively nightlife.

To mark the anniversary of the Hungarian capital, the country has prepared an extensive cultural programme for this summer, allowing visitors to discover the city's countless museums and sites, as well as attending numerous festivals ranging from wine and food to music and culture.

Until 31 August, the Underground Railway Museum on Deák Square will present a new temporary exhibition on the history of public transport in the capital. It will take a look at the most important events in the history of transport, pioneering innovations, the emergence of individual means of transport and some of the most significant vehicles.

With this exhibition, the 150 years of Budapest's history will be symbolically brought to life through 150 objects, photographs and films.

In addition, the city will be hosting a summer cinema by starlight. The Széchenyi Baths will offer access to the spa pool while enjoying your favourite film under the starlight throughout the month of July.

60 years ago a complete exhibition of the works of Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar, one of the great Hungarian avant-garde painters, opened at the Museum of Fine Arts.

This year, commemorating the 170th anniversary of the artist's birth, an exhibition has been organised in which visitors will have the opportunity to admire a selection of paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest until mid-July. The works of art will then travel to the Csontváry Museum in Pécs, where they will be on display for three months.

On 15 February, the doors opened to a new and unique cultural arena in Budapest: the new building of the National Dance Theatre, located in the Millennium Park.

Equipped with state-of-the-art theatrical techniques, the new building has two theatre spaces and chamber halls for dance lovers, as well as rehearsal areas for professional dancers.

The foyer of the building can also be turned into an open community area for visitors, where unique performances will be held until the end of the year.

This year, Veszprém holds the title of one of the European Capitals of Culture (ECC), together with Timisoara in Romania and Eleusis in Greece. The city has therefore joined with 116 participating towns and cities to offer almost 3,000 cultural programmes throughout the cultural-creative year.

What started 23 years ago as a competition to find the best street musicians in the country has become one of the most popular free music events in Hungary.

Thanks to the city's hospitality, the Veszprém Street Music Festival is one of the biggest events of the year where, for four days, street music artists compete in the most classic corners of Veszprém.

The festival was held from 20 to 23 July and presented international artists in 12 different venues, with 24 concerts in the evening and 20 concerts during the day.

Meanwhile, Inota, Hungary's largest contemporary audiovisual festival, will focus on innovative musical performances, as well as light installations, mapping and other impressive visual works. It will take place between 31 August and 3 September in the building of the former Inota thermal power plant, Hungary's largest industrial investment in the 1950s.

A complex that aims to create a professional dialogue between representatives of different artistic disciplines and creative industries to create an ambitious and future-oriented vision of the building's possible uses.