Budapest's Finest In The Winter 2015

2015. Vol. 4.

HUF 1 490 EUR 5

} The enchanted forest } The bastion of confectioneries } Ball season is here } Budapest on the big screen } Hungaricum: the Hungarian mind

The Five Star City Guide

Budapest

Photo Š BFTK Photostock

wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Photo © Urbanfoto

Photo © Barna Burger

Introduction

Dear Readers,

Dear Guests,

Winter arrives to the capital of four seasons as the city sparkles with festive glitter to make a visit to Budapest even more magical. In addition to the candles of the Advent wreath, our magazine can also light a candle on its birthday cake to mark the first anniversary of Budapest’s Finest.

Budapest – thanks to its purveyors of high-quality services and tourist programmes – is outstanding in both its cultural offerings and ability to produce experiences of exceptional value.

By this I refer to the Budapest Spring Festival, the Budapest Summer Festival, the CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, the Sziget Festival, and, of course, the Winter Festival.

In its first year, Budapest’s Finest – according to our expectations and based upon feedback – has showcased our wonderful city, with each issue surpassing the one before it. This five-star magazine fills an important niche associated with generating quality tourism, and aims to support professionals in diplomacy and tourism by further strengthening the Budapest brand.

With its Advent markets at Városháza Park, in front of Saint Stephen’s Basilica and at Vörösmarty Square (which is perennially listed among the Top 10 European Christmas markets), Budapest is turning Advent into a rich all-round experience featuring hand-picked handicrafts vendors, performers of a high standard and quality culinary offerings. The Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre also participated in the Budapest Winter Invitation programme. The season’s major tourism campaign includes innovative developments such as the BWI Budapest Card, which primarily provides access to cultural experiences, museums, free public transportation and guided city walks for tourists.

I would like to greet you on the occasion of the first anniversary of this five-star magazine. Budapest’s Finest aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of the Hungarian capital’s current tourism and cultural programmes complemented by reports and descriptions, with the intention of encouraging discerning tourists to return to Budapest.

Enjoy the Advent spirit in Budapest!

Teodóra Bán Director of Budapest Festival and Tourism Centre

The Hungarian capital is an increasingly important tourism centre and figures suggest that 2015 will be a record year from a tourism perspective. Budapest also rates highly in international tourist surveys. According to tourist feedback, Budapest was rated higher than Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, and ahead of Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Paris, Prague and Rome within Europe.

Among Budapest’s winter attractions, a special mention must go to the Advent and Christmas market at Vörösmarty Square.

Considered among Europe’s ten most beautiful, it attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists with its quality programmes.

I am sure you will find a wealth of useful information in this magazine about why Budapest is worth visiting – not only in the winter, but all year round – and that we will be able to welcome you back as a returning guest soon.

István Tarlós Mayor of Budapest

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CONTENTS

2015|Winter

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Advent – A time for secrets and sparkling lights

Advent } 4 Winter Festival in Budapest } 6 Thoughts on Advent } 8 In Saint Martin’s footsteps } 9 Applied artist Christmas } 12

Vibrant City Park } 12 The enchanted forest } 14

Please take a seat... } 22

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Budapest, the bastion of confectioneries } 24

Ball season is here } 28

Budapest – the bastion of confectioneries

Epiphany to Ash Wednesday } 30 Perfume is a dangerous weapon } 34 Prestige Hotel Budapest } 35 The classic evening gown } 36

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Ball season is here

Budapest on the big screen } 38 Hollywood on the Danube’s shore } 40 Andy Vajna on the film industry } 44

Hungaricum: the Hungarian mind } 46 Holovision, iKnife and laser microscopes } 48 Five ingenious inventions } 50

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Budapest on the big screen

City Guide } 52 Traditional yet modern } 54 Bon appétit! } 56 Family Wellness } 60 Calendar } 62

To see the location on the map, simply scan the QR code with your smartphone.

BUDAPEST WINTER INVITATION

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BWI BUDAPEST CARD EXTRA PACKAGE • 72 HOURS FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT • 2 FREE guided city sightseeing tours • FREE admission to 10 museums Partner hotels: http://budapestwinter. gotohungary.com/hotels

For more information: www.bwi.budapest-card.com

Photo © Krisztián Bódis

AAdvent

time for secrets and sparkling lights Cloudy days and long nights greet us at the end of November, but so does the arrival of the Advent season. The meaning of the word Advent is “arrival”, and the Latin phrase “adventus Domini” means “coming of the Lord”.

Traditionally, the patient waiting in the run up to Christmas was rewarded by the celebrated arrival of baby Jesus. Today, we do our best to build the anticipation and turn it into a community experience. Commerce and tourism benefit from this, but it also does wonders for the collective mood. Curiosity and the discovery of new cultures, customs, flavours and fragrances, as well as the re-awakening of nearly forgotten traditions, enrich both the soul and the spirit.

Learn more about Christmas in Budapest and Hungary and experience what is at once a joyous festive time and a sacred event. Let us revel in the beauty of the shimmering Christmas lights.

} Christmas market at Vörösmarty Square

Advent markets are annually held at locations across central Budapest.

Advent Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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Winter Festival in Budapest The vortex that swirls each Christmas at Vörösmarty Square is rated among Europe’s top ten most beautiful Advent and Christmas markets. More than 100 vendors sell hand-crafted items and gifts as unique culinary offerings await visitors at one of the Hungarian capital’s most beautiful public squares.

More than 120 craftsmen and merchants make the market a must visit event.

Up to 400,000 visitors are drawn to the event annually, as foreign tourists and locals alike enjoy its authentic Christmas atmosphere. For the first time, the vendor stands will not close their booths for Christmas at 3 pm on Christmas Eve this year, but will reopen on Christmas Day and Boxing Day from 10 am to 6pm, in case anyone needs a last minute gift. Handicrafts vendors will close their stands for the season on 29 December.

For the market planned by the Budapest Festival and Tourism Center, a jury of experts will select Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

Fashion Street decorated for the holidays.

the highest quality products that the applicants sell from their stands, be they handicrafts, gifts or refined culinary specialities.

Flavour and aroma specialists will occupy a 1,200 square-metre terrace from which they can serve their delicious meals. The kitchens and buffets will remain open after the crafts booths have closed up shop, only closing on Epiphany on 6 January.

In addition to traditional dishes, visitors can sample specialities such as goulash soup with prunes, Jerusalem artichoke potato pancakes (tócsni), pulled pork burgers, lamb sandwiches with roasted pepper cream, squash toasted in duck fat with spicy pumpkin seeds and goose liver sausage, as well as an authentic winter dish: catfish with cabbage.

Those looking for snacks will find lángos (“fried bread”) and flatbread stalls, while the sweettoothed have chimney cakes to look forward to, not to mention roasted chestnuts, the far-reaching aroma of which is a necessary part of the Christmas atmosphere. In addition to chocolate and marzipan by small producers, flódni, walnut and poppy seed rolls, strudels and mézescsók can all help expand one’s waistline.

During the course of the market, 200 quality programmes await visitors. The stage will host folk

Advent Photo © BFTK Photostock

The Finnish, or perhaps more accurately Lapplander Santa Claus, known as Joulupukki, will also visit Budapest on 6 December between 10 am and 11:30 am at Vörösmarty Square.

A new addition will be a sled caravan pulled by pigs. The wagons will contain an eco-phone, a marble run, a 3D adjustable periscope, an interactive eco-television, a treasure hunt game, built-in sound devices, and various other doors that can be opened, along with latches, locks

Photo © BFTK Photostock

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

music, jazz, crossover, blues and soul musicians from 5 pm to 8 pm on weekdays, and from 4 pm to 8 pm on weekends.

On the weekends from 11 am to 4 pm, a puppet show with musical and dance performances will entertain children at the main stage.

From 4 December on weekday mornings and afternoons, the techniques for preparing candles, cooking gingerbread, stringing beads, felting and basket weaving will be taught in heated wood cabins.

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A 1,200 square-metre culinary terrace awaits guests at Vörösmarty Square during the market.

} Törley, the international brand

József Törley learned the craft of sparkling wine production in the Champagne region of France. Born in 1858 to a landowning family in Szabadka (today Subotica, Serbia), Törley also studied in Graz and founded his first sparkling wine factory in Reims. While visiting Budafok, he recognised that the area was exceptional for sparkling wine, both from a production and commercial perspective. Consequently, he purchased the Savoy estate, and in 1882 launched production under the Törley József és Tsa Pezsgôgyára name.

Employing French experts and with approximately a dozen workers, he began “producing sparkling wine according to the unique French method”. Törley was a supplier to the royal court by the time of the Millennium Exhibition and later received a noble title.

and everything that children enjoy. The blacksmith’s workshop operating at the square will teach adults the secrets of the trade.

After many years, the square will once again include a nativity scene depicting the Biblical event, and will be built from wood using folk applied art techniques. On Sunday afternoons from 4 pm, a holiday service will be held accompanied by an angelic choir, at which time candles will be lit on the enormous wreath measuring three metres in diameter. According to tradition, the market organisers will also invite

12 charitable organisations to set up stands at the handicrafts market running for six weeks.

The Budapest Advent and Christmas Market at Vörösmarty Square, the Advent in Budapest Winter Festival and Christmas Market at the nearby City Hall Park and the Advent Feast at the Basilica at Szent István Square all await those in search of a Christmas atmosphere.

budapestinfo.hu/ karacsonyi-vasar.html 13 November – 26 November

Advent Photo © Tibor Somogyi

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Thoughts on Advent D r . V árszegi I mre A sztrik

pannonhalmi fôapát

Bishop Asztrik Várszegi, OSB

Today, our thoughts and customs with respect to Advent are much the same as our attitude towards Christianity. The world has opened up before us. As Christians, we are just one voice in a chorus. If we are familiar with and live the message that our faith holds, Advent will fill our hearts with rich wonders from one year to the next. For Man is not merely an intelligent being, but also an expectant, yearning individual.

Yearning for the Lord. Advent is the answer to the longing felt by the faithful and secular alike.

The Lord arrives in three ways: with the birth of Christ in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, in our souls through Advent, and according to our faith during the end times, as He promised.

We also know that His arrival in Bethlehem was in vain if He is not born in our hearts at this time during Advent, according to Saint Bernard. This personal experience is the essence of Advent, which is so named, because the Lord himself visits us and fills our souls with joy. This is the true experience of Advent and one worth contemplating.

In autumn, we part ways with summer as longer nights arrive.

Meanwhile, a primeval instinct grows within us as light grows scarcer and the desire for illumination grows. From our Christian traditions, we know that the light shines at Christmas.

But even those who do not know Christ or the World’s brightness long for wholeness and light. For this reason, Advent is a time of great longing for all of us as we feel the desire to better ourselves. To use contemporary speech: The desire of Advent is coded within us.

This longing is not awoken by us, it is how we are created.

This is God’s spark, which, as St. Augustine articulated in his Confessions, makes our hearts restless until they find peace in God. We are insignificant and seek Him until we find Him. The reward for this humility is that we can always rejoice in and for the light. This is the secret we discover at Advent. The rich descriptions found in Church tradition have made the idea behind Advent easy to grasp and presented us with inward longing. Commerce has appropriated the presentation of this longing, however, playing upon our desires and suggesting that it can be satisfied through shopping or giving gifts. This, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), is not true, however.

Streets decorated with lights, shining pine branches and rich gift stores all speak of material desire but not of the joy found in faith.

What can a Christian do in such a situation? Search for the reasons for their desires and the secret of their life, and share with their fellow people the answer that is Jesus Christ and the joy that springs from this hope.

Advent

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In Saint Martin’s footsteps A European Cultural Route of great significance The Saint Martin of Tours Route (Via Sancti Martini in Latin) was designated a European cultural route of outstanding significance.

Throughout Europe, 2016 will be the year of Saint Martin.

Photos © MITTECOMM

The European Council’s Cultural Routes programme was launched in 1987 with the objective of demonstrating how the heritage of the different countries and cultures of Europe contribute to a shared culture. Currently, there are 29 European Cultural Routes, of which six – the European Route of Jewish Heritage, the Saint Martin of Tours Route, the Iter Vitis Route (a wine route), the European Route of Historic Thermal Towns, The Cluniac Sites in Europe and the Réseau Art Nouveau Network (please see the autumn issue of Budapest’s Finest) – include Hungary. A route introducing Franz Liszt’s oeuvre and heritage is expected to be added through Austro-Hungarian cooperation shortly.

The year 2016 is the 1700th anniversary of Saint Martin’s birth. This outstanding saint from Christian antiquity and the middle ages was selected

by Grand Prince Géza in 996 to have the country’s first Benedictine abbey named after him and as Pannonhalma’s patron saint. King Saint Stephen in turn chose The copper reliefs of the Saint Martin Martin to be the patron of Tours Church (Budapest, District saint of the Kingdom of XIII, Váci út 91/b. Made by the artist Egon Mózessy in 1989.)

Hungary that he formed.

(Saint Martin, who would later become the Bishop of Tours, also became the patron saint of the city monastery, the city basilica and the territorial abbey.)

What is he an example of?

“From the beginning, Christianity was aware that for believers only examples were effective, as words simply fly away,” wrote Asztrik Várszegi, the Abbot of Pannonhalma for Budapest’s Finest. “The bishop monk Martin is a striking example of following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ for centuries, in fact for more than a millennia and a half. What is he an example of? The radical search for the Lord and service to humanity, showing his love through actions. This is what the word ‘saint’ describes in him.

“He is revered throughout Europe, and his person inspires us doubly through Saint Stephen’s state and church actions. Saint Martin was born in the ancient province of Pannonia, which is part of Hungary today, and is the patron saint of our monastic community, the Saint Martin Monastery for almost 1020 years. Commemo-

rating him in an era of uncertain values helps us clarify our self-identity and purpose and, through our own experiences, we can be an example to our contemporaries about unspoiled humanity, living for others, justice and social justice, and making sacrifices for freedom of conscience. The planned programmes for the Saint Martin Year are: social, pastoral, touristic and cultural, all of which intend to project these beliefs.”

} Even more sights worth seeing in Budapest

In the University (Nativity of Mary) Church, the altar of Hungarian saints depicts Saint Martin in the scene before the city gates of Amiens. Next to the painting on either side the kings Saint Stephen and Saint Ladislaus stand at the foot of the altar columns. Stephen chose Márton as the defender of his country and the kingdom that he formed. The Hungarian National Gallery possesses numerous late gothic altar cabinets and panels with a Saint Martin theme. The remnants of the royal chapel dedicated in the 14th century in honour of Saint Martin were discovered between 1958-1975 in the Buda Castle. At the intersection of Bürök Street and Kempelen Farkas Street in District XII on Márton Hill the Saint Martin Chapel from the 19th century stands.

His life and memorials in Budapest

Saint Martin was born in Pannonia in the city of Sabaria (today’s Szombathely). He fought under the Emperors Constantius II and Julian alongside his father who was a tribune, but not of his own free will. When the emperors decreed that veterans’ sons must fight in place of their fathers, Martin was conscripted when he turned 15. On one occasion during the winter, he stumbled into a beggar clad only in rags when he stepped outside the gates of Samarobriva (Amiens today). Martin understood that this man was there for him. Taking his sword, Martin cut his cloak in two, giving one half to the beggar, and wrapping the remaining half around himself. The following night he saw Christ wearing the half of his cloak that he The 130 year-old Saint Martin Chapel stands on Buda’s had given to the beggar, Márton Hill. and heard Him say to the angels surrounding him: “Martin the catechumen wrapped me with this cloth.”

This is the most frequent depiction associated with Saint Martin.

A Saint Martin relic – the parish church of Váci Street received the relic from Ludovicus Ferrand, Archbishop of Tours in 1968.

A fragment from the saint’s skull is sewn into a silk bag.

The relic is neo-gothic in style in the shape of a monstrance.

Advent

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Christmas in Nagytétény

Christmas trees by applied artists surrounded by antique furniture T ext : Györgyi Orbán • P hotos : IMM/Nagytétény Castle

The Christmas programme at the Nagytétény Palace is unique throughout Europe. The 28 rooms that showcase European furniture art from 1440 to 1850 are each decorated with a Christmas tree, which in turn is decorated by an applied artist, such as textile artists, goldsmiths, glaziers and ceramists using their own artistic style, but also keeping in mind the atmosphere of the room.

Advent

The palace’s atmosphere is in harmony with the origami-decorated Christmas tree planned by the Latin-Hajdú team.

Through its collaboration with the artists, the museum assembled a list of accomplishments that cannot be found in any other museum in the world. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which possesses the world’s largest collection of art and design, only decorates a single Christmas tree with applied artists, which is erected in the museum’s foyer with a different artist tasked with designing duties each year.

Katalin Sárváry exclaimed that she really loves the holiday, its sanctity, lights, fragrances, colours and the wait for the Redeemer’s birth. For 11 years, she also decorated trees, most

A tapestry artist used leftover thread to weave a garland with birds, a nest, colourful angels and birds flying across a wreath of light that stood in a ceramic pot, as if they were spinThe Hungarian Origami Circle’s ning on a merry-go-round.

Christmas decorations are delightfully entertaining in the manner through But globe ornaments were which they present the figures of also crafted from ginkgo stars and angels. biloba and painted plants.

The Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest prepared a tree decorated with teddy bear drawings.

Christmas in the palace will be celebrated through 2 January and will close with a New Year’s concert. On weekends, an applied arts market, mulled wine, Hungarian chimney cakes, roasted chestnuts and children’s programmes await visitors.

In 1948, the Nagytétény Palace was designated to become a museum by the Agricultural Ministry. Following post-war restoration work, the first furniture exhibition opened in 1951.

Owing to the building’s deteriorating condition, it was closed at the end of the 1980s, reopening after renovations in 2000 to show the world its unparalleled collection of furniture art.

Photos © B. Hajdú

Photos © Angéla Lesznik

The textile artist Katalin Sárváry, who is also a distinguished professor at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, recounted how 13 years ago the museum’s former director Elvira Király assembled a group of artists for a discussion to create a special and exciting event in the palace for the Christmas holidays. The idea was soon born that Christmas trees would be erected throughout the museum’s rooms and would each be decorated by an applied artist. The first such Christmas was a rousing success with several thousands of visitors. Guests enjoyed not only the scent of gingerbread, but they could also find inspiration for decorating their trees at home, all the while becoming acquainted with the palace’s unparalleled furniture collection of more than 400 items spanning styles from Gothic to Biedermeier.

often in the former refectory, where the gingerbread figures cannot be overlooked as they are formed in the shape of Mary with the baby Jesus, stars, hearts, lambs and angels, along with many oranges studded with cloves. The scent of the trees also fills the room. The organisers always made sure that the pine would have space, The score for Angéla Lesznik’s Advent and each artist planned vocal performance was inserted among their tree well in advance, the ceramic ornaments. with decorations taking approximately a day to complete. Sárváry also drew attention to the fact that proportions and balance were vitally important when creating the decorations. The beginner artist teams were refreshed seemingly every year, rejuvenated with new arrivals and youths filled with ideas competing to be admitted into the tree decorators’ circle. The holiday preparations captured the artists’ imaginations, bringing forth from within them the type of creativity that might not manifest itself in a genre exhibition, Sárváry added. As an example, she recalled that one artist moulded stars from electrical cables, while another made birds and lilies from recycled paper. Others still made glass decorations by hand and gingerbread figures that represented Budapest’s iconic buildings.

Photos © Angéla Lesznik

Institute director Károly Juhász has revealed that the delightful tradition will continue this year. The exhibition featuring the decorated Christmas trees will run through Advent to 2 January, opening on 28 November. The opening event – just as in years past – will feature an auction, where some of the artists’ decorations from the previous year will be put up for sale.

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Photo Š EtelkaCsilla

City P ark V ibrant all year-round!

Should you arrive to Budapest in either summer or winter, Budapest’s City Park cannot be missed. It takes only 10-20 minutes from your hotel via the Millennium Underground to reach the park with its wide variety of activities and experiences.

Art lovers can visit the museums, families can visit the zoo, and even in the depths of winter the Széchenyi Thermal Bath is an excellent location to relax and reenergise yourself.

For those in search of culinary adventures, you will find that the restaurants await with special menus.

About the millennium: celebrated 120 years ago to mark the 1,000-year anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, developments in the subsequent decades transformed the City Park and its surroundings into one of Budapest’s main tourist attractions.

Budapest’s Finest will be your guide.

} “Vajdahunyad” Castle

The building complex that highlights various architectural styles from Hungary’s history is the City Park’s gem.

The enchanted A

forest

recreational park in the heart of the city T ext : András Oláh

In Hungary, the year 1896 is memorable not only because of the launch of the modern Olympics, but also because it was the 1,000-year anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. Numerous millennium celebrations were held nationwide, and one of the centres for these year-long events was Budapest’s City Park. Many of the buildings tied to the jubilee year await visitors to this day.

A replica of the Church of Ják, an emblematic example of Romanesque architecture in Hungary, stands in a position of prominence within the building complex of Vajdahunyad Castle.

The Hungarian capital was enriched with a number of buildings on the occasion of the anniversary. This was the year that the Szabadság Bridge, originally named after Emperor Franz Joseph, was dedicated, and the same applies to the Museum of Applied Arts, which is considered one of the finest examples of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture.

The Grand Boulevard’s second stretch between Király Street and Ullôi Road was completed in the same year too, as was the Comedy Theatre, while the renovated Matthias Church was also consecrated. Construction of the parliament building’s

dome was completed, the spire of which, in recognition of the important year, was topped out at 96 metres, as the parliamentarians inside wrote into law the plans to build the Millennial Monument and Museum of Fine Arts at what would become Heroes’ Square. The year’s most outstanding event, however, was the National Millennium Exhibition held in the City Park from 2 May to 31 October. Its aim, among others, was to introduce a wide audience to treasures from Hungarian history, as well as new developments in agriculture, forestry and wildlife management, industry, com-

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

Vibrant City Park

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Vibrant City Park icated to the 1956 revolution. With Király Street narrow and increasingly crowded, it was supplanted in the 1870s with the construction of the Sugár Road – today Andrássy Avenue – thereby providing an elegant journey into the park along with the

Emperor Franz Joseph dedicated the first underground railway on the European continent.

Photo © Fortepan

merce, education and the arts alongside numerous entertaining attractions. The exhibition, which covered an area greater than 500,000 square metres, featured 240 pavilions showcasing Hungarian products and attracted 5 million visitors. “The flood of people filled the hotels,” the historiographer László Kôváry wrote in 1897. “They came by train, boat, individually or in groups numbering in the hundreds or thousands.”

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A 150-year-old idea

Városligeti Boulevard that ran parallel to it. The city fathers, however, did not want a horse track or tram to ruin the aesthetics of these roads lined with apartment buildings and villas.

The continent’s first underground railway

Following several petitions and with the National Millennium Exhibition approaching, a judgment that would have challenged Solomon was forced upon the city’s decision makers: in two years, the continent’s first underground railway would be built running from today’s Vörösmarty Square

The Vajdahunyad Castle building complex was originally built from wood.

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

By this time, the City Park was already a regular destination for entertainment and leisure, a place for lords, the bourgeoisie, workers and servants to relax independently of their social status.

Used previously for hunting and grazing cows, the swampy area was transformed in several phases in the early 19th century into a public park open to everyone free of charge. From the early 1800s, it was increasingly a popular location for side shows and circuses, with various restaurants and confectioneries opening as well. People could dance to the music from outdoor concerts, watch horse races and row boats on the lake. Those looking for therapeutic healing could visit the baths.

The first zoo in Hungary was built in 1866 in the City Park’s northwest corner, which as was customary for the time also included side shows, a freak show, and, as part of a living open-air museum, members of tribes from exotic locations in Europe, Asia and Africa. As ice skating became increasingly popular during the winter months when the lake froze over, a hut was replaced in 1870 with a pavilion. Due to its popularity, the building soon had to be expanded, so that in 1895 the building that stands there to this day was built. The main entrance to the City Park was the circular Rondó, the remains of which can still be seen today at Ötvenhatosok Square, behind the memorial ded-

Vibrant City Park

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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The Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport as it appeared before being damaged in World War II.

(then Gizella Square) to the artesian baths that are the predecessor of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

The trains began transporting passengers on the first day of the exhibition, and, six days later on 8 May 1896, the emperor himself travelled on the line in a special luxury carriage, after which he gave his consent for it to be named the Franz Joseph Underground Electric Railway.

The underground railway originally came to the surface after the stop at Heroes’ Square (then Aréna Road), and circled around the lake in the City Park. The line had its terminus between the former artesian bath and the lake after the Zoo station. The surface section of the line was taken underground and extended to Mexikói Road in 1973, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the unification of Pest, Buda and Óbuda into Budapest, which is also when the station at Deák Photo © Fortepan

One of Europe’s oldest merry-go-rounds, dating from 1896, is located on Állatkert Road.

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

Ôs-Budavára was the centre of the party quarter during the millennium exhibition, where the Turkish occupation of Hungary was also commemorated with a mosque and minaret.

Today, it houses the elephants in the zoo.

Ferenc Square received its current location, owing to exits required for the Metro 2 line. This abandoned track today houses a small museum on the underground with several old carriages, located by the BKK ticket offices. The City Park also has mementos from when the railway travelled above ground. Between the Museum of Fine Arts and the lake, one can see under a willow tree an unused bridge. The first reinforced concrete bridge in Hungary originally allowed for people to cross over the tracks as they emerged from the ground.

A world exposition – Hungarian style

Prior to the National Millennium Exhibition, the City Park had already hosted a large-scale National General Exhibition in 1885. While more modest than the exhibition in 1896, it also sought to introduce Hungarian economic and cultural achievements. It was from this period that we have the City Park’s Stefánia Road promenade (today the Olof Palme Walkway) and the old Kunsthalle (today the Palme House), which upon completion was deemed too small to host artwork by contem-

Vibrant City Park

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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The pavilion located next to the lake was intended to showcase the Hungarian boating industry. Today, the lake is set aside for rowing in summer and ice skating in winter.

cally damaged in World War II, and the reduced building only reopened in 1966. Renamed in November 2008 as the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport, it closed its doors in the spring of 2015 to be completely restored and renovated, with plans to reopen in 2018.

The elegant Robinson restaurant looks out over the City Park Lake.

Where wine and water flow together

The Széchenyi Thermal Bath opened in 1913 on the site of the artesian baths, with the pool section that is popular with tourists opening in 1927. The bath, which is open year-round, is worth visiting in the winter too, as the spring water that rises from a thousand metres deep keeps the outdoor swimming pool at 26-28°C and the relaxation pools at 32-34°C. The neo-renaissance building also houses a selection of covered pools, saunas and steam rooms.

The rich tradition of the City Park’s hospitality cannot be told without mentioning the Gundel restaurant, which opened its doors in 1894 and fed visitors arriving to the National Millennium Photo © MITTECOMM

porary artists, so that the new Kunsthalle was built for the millennial anniversary at what is today’s Heroes’ Square. The new Kunsthalle hosted a large-scale exhibit on the occasion of the millennium, and today hosts contemporary visual arts exhibits. One of the most emblematic and popular locations of the National Millennium Exhibition is the building complex known as Vajdahunyad Castle, which received its name after the castle that the main façade replicated, which at the time still belonged to Hungary (the town today is known as Hunedoara in Romanian). The building complex depicts a number of architectural styles from Hungarian history, spanning from the Romanesque up to renaissance-baroque. The building, originally constructed from wood, was rebuilt from 1904-1908 from permanent materials, and today houses the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture.

The Hall of Transportation was also built at this time in the park’s eastern half, which several years later became the Royal Hungarian Transport Museum. The formerly imposing building was criti-

Vibrant City Park Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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The Gundel restaurant located next to the City Park Lake.

Exhibition. The restaurant became truly famous in 1910 when Károly Gundel took over operations. Gundel was already a household name by this point owing to the father, János Gundel, who operated the era’s best restaurants. In 1867, the senior Gundel planned the ceremonial meals for

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

The Kunsthalle opened its doors to the public in 1896.

Franz Joseph’s coronation as Hungarian king. His son gained experience in Europe alongside such contemporaries as Ritz and Escoffier, continuing his father’s work and reforming Hungarian gastronomy in the process, thereby achieving international recognition. On the occasion of the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, the New York Times’ critic praised Károly Gundel for doing more for Hungarian popularity than a boatload of tourism brochures. As part of his philosophy, he considered himself more of a host than a restaurateur, personally attending to his guests and taking joy in preparing his special dishes, which he was happy to name after those who ordered them. His work has for generations been an example of the best of Hungarian hospitality. A few years after acquiring the restaurant that would bear his name, Gundel became the owner of the neighbouring Állatkert Bagolyvár restaurant, later taking over the hospitality services of the Gellért Thermal Baths and the Hotel Royal as well.

Although the restaurant was nationalised under communism, the new owners following the system change have strived to preserve the Gundel’s lustre by keeping with tradition. Over the previous decades, the restaurant has hosted such figures as Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, United States President George H. W. Bush, Sylvester Stallone and Sir George Solti.

Vibrant City Park

ADVENT

} A Garden of Eden for photographers

In National Geographic’s annual Photo Contest in 2014, 9,200 pictures from 150 countries were submitted by amateurs and professionals. The contest has three categories: nature, people and places. That year, the winner of the latter category had a Hungarian connection. This is the photo taken by Triston Yeo from Singapore of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath in winter.

Changing and renewing

We have only mentioned a few of the exciting features of the City Park’s architectural and cultural heritage, which even today is changing and constantly renewing itself. In addition to the Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport, the reconstruction of the Museum of Fine Arts will be completed by 2018. According to plans, additional collections will be relocated to the edge of the City Park or in buildings that are currently out of use. This will also be accompanied by the landscaping of the green spaces. The Liget Budapest project intends to make the City Park an even more attractive destination for family relaxation for both locals and tourists alike.

Heroes’ Square received its current form in 1938, with some of the statues in the colonnade having been replaced for political reasons.

29 November Budapest Dance Theatre: Mother Hulda Organised by the National Dance Theatre 6 December Duelling Virtuosos A concert by the Virtuózok and guest stars 13 December Péter Sárik Trió 20 December István Pál Szalonna and his Band

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

arts and crafts interactive programmes for children festive candle lighting

Tickets and passes can be purchased in advance at the Castle Garden Bazaar ticket office (1013 Budapest, Ybl M. tér), or at the National Dance Theatre’s points of sale: Allée Shopping Centre (1117 Budapest, Október 23. utca 8–10.), Ticket Express (1061 Budapest, Dalszínház utca 10.), and at jegymester.hu.

For more information, please visit varkertbazar.hu.

Szeged Contemporary Dance Company: The Nutcracker, Photo: Béla DUSHA

IN THE CASTLE GARDEN BAZAAR

Fotó © SUGÁR! Shop

Pleased take a seat...

Whether you explored the Hungarian capital on foot or on a sightseeing bus, it’s always nice to relax after seeing the sights. Take a seat at one of Budapest’s confectioneries, where you can take in all the new experiences and surrender to lighter culinary delights. Confectioneries, as a Hungarian institution, blend EasternTurkish and Western French-German influences. Refreshing coffee, thick hot chocolates and warm, fragrant teas are also available with the smart collections of cakes. Today’s Hungarian confectioners preserve a centuries-old tradition both in the way they look and in their recipes, while simultaneously remaining open to innovative solutions, as you will discover over the coming pages. We recommend trying everything – in moderation, of course.

} Sugar Design Confectionery

Around the corner from Budapest’s Broadway, you will find one of the city’s most modern confectionaries

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Budapest –

The bastion of

confectioneries

Photo © Balázs Csizik / MITTECOMM

T ext : Gyula Balogh

Budapest cannot be imagined without confectioneries, for they are among the city’s most popular and pleasant locations. In this summary, we will look back on century-old traditions, as well as sample fashionable new innovations. Let us guide you.

Confectioneries first appeared in Hungary in the 1830s, immediately conquering Pest-Buda (Budapest only unified in 1873).

At first, they only had shops; the salon-style stores where patrons could sit down only came later. The first confectioners in Hungary were Italian, French and Swiss masters, but the Hungarians and Germans were quick to learn the craft as making sweet treats became increasingly popular, as the historian Noémi Saly, an excellent source on the history of confectionaries and cafés observed.

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Photo © Fortepan

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At the time of the Great Compromise in the 1860s, hospitality services, including confectioneries developed at breakneck pace. Smaller than cafés, but more intimate and elegant, confectioneries were patronised primarily by women. Smoking was forbidden in confectioneries, if for no other reason than to preserve the cakes. While card games and billiards were frequent in cafés, confectioneries were a place for discussion next to coffee, cake and chocolate. Confectioneries evoked the women’s world of salons with pleasant chats and were considered a favourite location for gossip. Hungarian confectioneries were also influenced by the traditions of Balkan sweets, Western European influences and traditional Hungarian countryside pastry preparation. We can thank the latter for the rétes, which is a Hungarian strudel.

Dobos’s famous cake Several Hungarian confectionery inventions have become Hungaricums, i.e. something that is quintessentially Hungarian. In this category, we will find József Dobos’s famous cake, as well as the Indiáner, the Rákóczi túrós and the Gundel crêpe. The latter was invented by the wife of acclaimed writer Sándor Márai. Of course, we’ll find parallels for these throughout European kitchen culture. József Dobos was initially a chef who launched his career by preparing cured snacks. He was famous for pouring wine into the centre of the cheese maturing in the window of his legendary shop, with the entire city waiting for the cheese to be ready to eat. The recipe for the immortal Dobos cake was born in 1884. Many people tried to recreate the cake, but no one could figure out its true recipe, until he donated it to the guild. Dobos invested most of his fortune into war bonds, consequently dying poor.

The legend of the Auguszts One of the most exceptional confectioneries in Budapest among the many other renowned ones is the Auguszt. The family tradition was launched by Elek Auguszt, and their first

The Gerbeaud counter at the National Millennium Exhibition in 1896

} The original recipe for the Dobos cake Ingredients: Sponge cake: 6 eggs, 10 dkg powdered sugar, 10 dkg fine

flour, 3.5 dkg butter Cream: 4 eggs, 20 dkg powdered sugar, 23.5 dkg butter, 3.5 dkg dark chocolate (99%), 1.7 dkg vanilla sugar, 3.5 dkg cocoa butter, 20 dkg dark chocolate (min. 60%) Caramel topping: 15 dkg powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 8 g butter (approximately 2 teaspoons) For a cake of 22 cm in diameter, 6 sponge cake layers are needed.

Preparation: mix 6 egg whites well with 5 dkg of powdered sugar. The 6 egg whites are whipped until solid, after which we add 5 dkg of powdered sugar until frothy and add the mixed 6 egg yolks, 10 dkg of flour and 3.5 dkg of melted butter.

Assembling the cream: whip 4 eggs with 20 dkg of powdered sugar and if it is warm, whip it away from heat until it cools. The 23.5 dkg of butter is to be well mixed. Add 1.7 dkg of vanilla sugar with 3.5 dkg of melted dark chocolate and add the 20 dkg of chocolate, which should be warm and soft.

Combine it with the cold mass of eggs and, after blending, make 5 layers, with the sixth covered in golden-brown Dobos sugar, which is then cut into 20 slices. (According to later recipes, a thin layer of peach jam or poppy seed raspberry jam is added below the icing.)

Photo © BFTK Photostock

From the 1840s, the golden age of confectioners’ sweets was upon us, an age we may still be living in today. Since cooling was a difficult challenge to solve at the time, baked goods containing dried fruits, poppy seeds and walnuts were popular.

The real secrets behind confectioner’s sweets are in the recipes, especially as the ingredients and correct ratios are of particular importance in this category of food. For this reason, the more delicate recipes were jealously guarded. For a long time, confectioneries were not considered a traditional trade, but more like a cottage industry.

Photo © Gerbeaud

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The poppy seed or walnut-filled bejgli is an essential part of Christmas in Hungary.

} Classic Christmas cakes The bejgli: a poppy seed or ground walnut filled delight. They are so popular that orders arrive from across the world to Hungarian friends and acquaintances. The bejgli dates back to the 19th century, perhaps as a more modern take on the pozsonyi kifli, which is similar, but smaller. Ever since, however, it has been crowned the king of Christmas desserts. In István’s Czifray’s recipe book from 1830, it was included as a Pozsonyi finom mákos kaláts (“delicious poppy-seed cake from Pozsony”).

Photo © BFTK Photostock

Photo © Auguszt Confectionery

The interior of the Auguszt Confectionery on Kossuth Lajos Street.

confectionery was in Tabán in Buda. They later relocated a little north to Krisztinaváros, where they opened their luxuriously decorated store, which was called the Gerbeaud of Buda.

The store and production facility was located on the site of today’s Déryné Bistro, where the family lived as well. Unfortunately the building was destroyed by a direct hit in World War II. In 1947, József E. Auguszt rebuilt the house and reopened the confectionery, which was soon nationalised with the family forced into internal exile. Ten years later, Elemér Auguszt and his wife opened their store in Fény Street, which operates to this day. At the turn of the millennium, Olga Auguszt opened a new store downtown in Kossuth Lajos Street, which was renovated in 2009 and has since become quite popular. The family taste-

A traditional Buche de Noel.

Buche de Noël, which are edible Yule logs, have been an essential part of French holiday dinners for a century and a half. The cake, which is filled and covered with chocolate or coffee cream, is reminiscent of a tree trunk and is associated with Pierre Lacam, a notable figure in French gastronomy.

The traditional English dessert served on Christmas Day is Christmas pudding, an important element of English Christmas tradition since the middle ages.

Owing to one of its ingredients, it is also frequently called plum pudding.

In German-speaking areas, Stollen is considered a Christmas favourite. The popular fruit bread is presented in the shape of Baby Jesus wrapped in a blanket.

A re-imagined yule log from Zazzi’s selection.

Photo © Zazzi

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Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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Gerbeaud, the unavoidable The legend of the Gerbeaud, located in the heart of downtown at Vörösmarty Square, begins with Henrik Kugler, who represented the third generation of a confectioner family from Sopron. During school and his years spent travelling, he visited 11 cities, among them Paris, where he expanded his professional knowledge. Kugler founded his confectionery on today’s József Nádor Square in 1858, from where he moved his headquarters to today’s Vörösmarty Square. Kugler’s frothy, chocolatey coffee, special liqueurs and candy-bonbons enchanted the public. Kugler cakes and mignons were in high demand, and he was the first to package them onto paper trays. Kugler’s name retained its drawing power decades after his passing, to prove the point, we need only quote Attila József’s poem: “…to buy a Kugler for five forints…”

The French mignon received its new, Hungarianised name in Budapest. The composer and piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was a frequent guest, as was the politician Ferenc Deák, the sage of Hungary and the architect of the Grand Compromise. In the 1880s, Kugler’s store was called “the meeting place of the elegant world”. Henrik Kugler met Emil Gerbeaud in Paris in 1882. Since he was without an

heir to his confectionery, Kugler invited Gerbeaud to Budapest as a future business partner. The Geneva-born Gerbeaud was a third-generation confectioner himself. As a youth, he travelled throughout England, France and Germany before settling in Saint-Étienne. He married Esther Ramseyer, the daughter of a chocolatier from Saint-Imier, with whom he had five daughters.

In 1884, Emil Gerbeaud became the confectionery’s new owner. He travelled broadly, introduced elegant wrapping and individually made boxes.

The introduction of world-class confectioneries to Hungary is associated with Gerbeaud, as does launching a large manufacturing plant with many employees, who were excellently taught and had opportunities to participate in international internships. The confectionery prepared buttery, Parisian and similarly special creams, as well as more

The counter and elegant salon in the Gerbeaud’s Vörösmarty Square building.

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

fully continues tradition without cutting corners.

The family’s third store, the Auguszt Pavilon, has operated for 15 years at Buda’s Farkasréti Square, which also contains a pleasant garden seating area.

Those who choose a cake from Auguszt will never be disappointed.

From the Ruszwurm to Zazzi The Ruszwurm is the oldest confectionery in the Buda Castle District. To this day, the store has a delightful selection and welcomes guests while upholding tradition. Another exceptional confectionery is the Daubner in Óbuda. The legendary confectionery was launched by Béla Daubner in Orosháza in 1901.

The family later moved to Budapest, opening a new location which remains popular to this day. The Daubner secret, which applies to other confectioner dynasties too, is to cultivate family recipes that are tightly guarded to this day by Béla Daubner’s grandchild. The word most frequently used to describe their ice cream cakes is “sumptuous”. In Balassi Bálint Street, the Szalai confectionery is considered to be among the most desirable locations in downtown Budapest for the sweet of tooth and rightfully claims the slogan: a confectionery from among the real ones – which has been making life sweeter for nearly a hundred years... The Fröhlich confectionery in Dob street recently celebrated 60 years of operation and cannot be missed, offering kosher delicacies among its wide selection. During the Jewish holidays, traditional sweets expand its offerings and the confectionery’s calendar is adjusted accordingly. In addition to

} Parlour Candy, Gerbeaud

Preparing for Saint Nicholas’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and then Easter has always been a significant business event. By early November, the crafting of chocolate Santa Clauses and boots to be wrapped in red foil was in full swing. This was followed by Christmas “parlour candy” preparation, and then the poppy seed and walnut-stuffed crescent cookies were baked just before Christmas.

Parlour candy (so named because it was hung from the Christmas tree that was usually erected in the parlour) could be purchased from the stock on hand or ordered in advance. Those making orders could decide what flavours and wrapping paper colours they preferred, as well as the colour and potential design on the foil wrapper. For Saint Nicholas’s Day, a virgács (a bundle of gold-painted twigs) and candy could be purchased, while an assortment of artificial Christmas trees of various sizes were available for Christmas. For the chocolate ornaments, the foil wrapping featured designs to fit the chocolate’s shape, such as clock faces, angel heads, bells and reindeer. There were also small box ornaments containing dragées shaped as travelling satchels, houses, butterflies and all manner of other objects. Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, stores were stocked with chocolate pigs, lucky horseshoes with red ribbons decorated with clovers, and four-leafed clovers on their own.

flodni, sufganiyah at Hanukkah and hamantash for Purim, visitors will find original specialities too. French cream pastry, Dobos cake, the Eckler donut or fresh, warm curd cheese strudels are just as much a part of the palette, as is the képviselô donut or Russian cream cake. In addition, you’ll find innovations such as “spring excitement”, “autumn breeze” or the “love letter”. The Star of David-shaped gingerbreads for Rosh Hashanah are at once eye-catching and tasty. Those wanting crumbly cakes or brioches should seek out the László confectionary in Budafok, which opened 40 years ago. The Zila Coffee House – Krisztina Confectionary, located on the former Szemere civil shooting range, is also at once elegant and steeped in tradition, although it is considered among the new wave of stores.

Photo © Gerbeaud

The cake counter at the Zazzi confectionery.

Photo © Balázs Csizik / WMITTECOMM

than a hundred varieties of tea cakes and gourmet candies. As a master chocolatier, Gerbeaud also introduced cat tongues and brandied cherries to Hungary. Emil Gerbeaud saw his work as art, and he was a colourful individual who was known to destroy punch mignons with his own hands if he did not find their colour acceptable.

Photo © Balázs Csizik / MITTECOMM

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The Ruszwurm’s turn of the century store.

Finally the Zazzi confectionery, which originally opened in Solymár in 2005 before relocating to Óbuda on Bécsi Road in 2013 has a huge following. Alongside the sweet and savoury delights, there’s also coffee and hot chocolate, as well as ice cream specialities. The confectionery is owned by two women, Margit Varga and Dr. Melinda Erdôs. Their specialities are the French-inspired sweets called macarons, fruit, chocolate and caramel mousse, and for Christmas: tree trunks. The gist of their confectioner philosophy is thus: use the highest quality ingredients – real fruit, the finest chocolate, etc. – from which everything is hand prepared. Their target clientele are those who enjoy delightful rarities.

Please take a seat...

The reputation of Hungarian chocolatiers continues to grow internationally. chocoMe, launched in 2009-2010 by Gábor Mészáros, is the first Hungarian chocolate manufacturer to have entered the world’s three most prestigious professional competitions (the Academy of Chocolate Awards, the International Chocolate Awards and the Great Taste Awards) and walked away with prizes.

The company, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, recently won three bronze medals at the Academy of Chocolate Awards’ competition in London with three different – Raffinée – products. The competition pitted the world’s best chocolatiers against each other to test their skills, with the prize awarded in the fourth floor ballroom of the Fortnum & Mason

MDental_hird_210x94_151106_print.pdf 1 2015.11.06. 15:31:05

Photos © chocoMe

} Hungarian chocolatiers on top of the world

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building, one of the most popular shopping locations for the English upper crust. chocoMe is a true success story: the founder started out with a good idea – producing chocolate tablets decorated and flavoured with the most unique of ingredients. Within six months, he had made a name for his company publicly and industry-wide. “When I launched production, two considerations led me: one, that the product should be nice from an aesthetic perspective, and two, that it should be made from quality ingredients. What goes into our products is the same as you’ll find in top restaurants. For this reason, many people do not consider it to be chocolate, but a gift,” Gábor Mészáros elaborated in an interview. In the meantime, chocoMe continues its conquest of the world, just like the Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé workshop.

A few years ago, the family-run outfit was chosen for an international publication highlighting the world’s 80 best chocolatiers, and in the annual issue of Dining Guide, it was labelled as “The Best Chocolate in Hungary”.

The cocoa beans arriving from Venezuela and Madagascar are processed in an old mill building in Budapest, from which the company produces its world-famous Rózsavölgyi bonbons, chocolate tablets, truffles and dragées, among other delights.

Fot贸 漏 Zs贸fia P谩lyi / MAO

Ball season is here

Sublime culinary and cultural treats

We owe our gratitude to the French monarch Charles VI and his new bride, the then fifteen-year-old Isabeau of Bavaria, for inventing the tradition of holding balls.

The royal couple were the first to use the name, for a celebration connected to a wedding being held in the northern French city of Amiens in 1385. The stiff clothing worn at mediaeval balls were full-blown instruments of torture. Catherine de Medici introduced an innovation to the dress in the 16th century: from then on women could also appear at balls in lighter garments cut from fabric; some of these took years to sew, embroider and bejewel, with masks also becoming an important accessory, as they tended to help evaporate inhibitions.

} Ball in the Hungarian State Opera

The 2015 Opera Ball was based upon the theme of Faust.

Operabál

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From Epiphany until Ash Wednesday ... … or even longer T ext : Zsuzsa Mátraházi

Balls acquired their current form during the reign of Louis XIV, and while initially it was the king’s prerogative to hold court balls, soon all of Europe was whirling along too. In 1715, the Parisian aristocracy convened the first ball held in an opera house, with the wealthier members of the bourgeoisie also receiving personalised invitations, as a mark of status.

The Faust Ball held in February 2015 in the Hungarian State Opera.

In the 19th century balls became an even more widespread, bourgeois and democratic form of entertainment. Professional and sports associations started announcing balls for their members, with revenues often going to a charitable cause. The ball season, now with 630 years of history behind it, officially starts on Epiphany on 6 January and ends on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, which in 2016 will fall on 10 February.

This date, of course, is merely theoretical, since the ball season often runs into March. Or perhaps it starts earlier, as it will this season on 13 November 2015 with the Viennese Ball in Budapest, inaugurated last season with the endorsement and support of the Vienna Mayor’s Office. Another prelude to the ball season is the New Year’s Eve Musical Party held at the Marriott, which is pop-

ular with foreign visitors as well. The ballroom’s 140-square-metre glass wall looking out on Buda Castle offers a stunning view of the midnight fireworks display.

Two elegant classics: the Opera Ball and the Lawyers’ Ball The ball with the oldest tradition in Hungary belongs to its lawyers and was first organised in 1832 for prosecutors, judges, ministers, notaries, solicitors, law graduates and apprentice lawyers. During its entire bicentennary history this bourgeois society event, always a splendid occasion for networking in addition to fostering collegiality, was only suspended between 1914 and 1921, and was also cancelled after the turn of the millennium. Last year, however, the tradition was resuscitated and reintroduced with new content. Each year, they

Fotó © Zsófia Pályi / MAO

Ball season is here

© OSZK

} Back to the Renaissance

A civic society ball in Pest in 1845. The dresses were made from domestic materials.

The Shakespeare Ball will serve as an occasion to pay homage to the memory of the giant of English poetry on the 400th anniversary of his death, as well as to sum up the overall spirit of the Opera’s entire season. Each year, the very greatest of the world of opera and ballet are invited to be guest stars at the exclusive soirée, and this year Plácido Domingo, that towering figure of musical life in the 20th and 21st centuries, will be the biggest star of them all. Making his appearance especially momentous is the fact that, in his entire career, this will be his first time singing at the Budapest Opera House.

The Renaissance theme will extend well past the programme of the event to be held on 6 February 2016 in connection with the Opera’s Shakespeare season: the décor and overall spirit will also reflect the era.

The evening’s guest star has quite a task set out before him: armed with his warmth and personality, he must make the evening a unique and unforgettable one of outstanding quality and personal significance. But for more than half a century, Domingo has shown that he is an exceptional figure in the opera world.

Something of a Renaissance man, he has always provided his audiences with more than simply his superb operatic skills. He has fondly dabbled in the genre of operetta, given performance of popular music and, as one of The Three Tenors, has popularised his principal genre of opera across the world, in which he would later also début as a director. In addition to all this, he has worked tirelessly for years to lend a helping hand to the talents of the next generations through his international singing competition Operalia. The multifaceted artist – along with numerous Hungarian performers – will be at the Opera on 6 February to welcome guests to the Shakespeare Ball, whose programme will once again be the work of Ferenc Anger, the Hungarian State Opera’s artistic director, and Tamás Solymosi, director of the Hungarian National Ballet. Also taking the stage will be the Opera’s finest soloists and its orchestra, with Principal Music Director Péter Halász greeting the audience from the podium. After the programme, there will be dancing and a variety of musical acts, lasting until the wee hours, in the loveliest chambers of the Opera House.

The events surrounding the Shakespeare Ball also seek to address both children and devotees of less formal types of entertainment, while at the same time extending its opportunities for charitable giving. The Dalszínház StreetBall is the parallel event to the gala evening unfolding inside the Opera House, serving up music from popular DJs to revellers on the street next to the Opera House. The Breadcrumb Ball for disadvantaged children takes place on the morning after the Shakespeare Ball, amidst the festive decorations from the night before, where the little guests will get the chance to watch Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel. The primary mission for the evening is once again a philanthropic one: the guests at the function will be able contribute to the common purpose, which as previously will be to help the National Ambulance Service purchase a new ambulance.

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Ball season is here

The guest of honour at the Faust Ball, the world famous prima donna Angela Gheorghiu.

will partner with a different social or professional group, often ones that some of their members work with on a daily basis. Last year it was doctors who were welcomed as „guests” at the soirée held in the elegant Gundel restaurant. On 13 February 2016 the legal professionals will „ally” with the world of science and academia at the Marriott Hotel for a fine time together.

Budapest’s Opera Ball was held for the first time on 2 March 1886, a time when illustrious members of both the aristocracy and the financial world were organising such gatherings, with proceeds destined for the public good, at different venues. And so it was a matter of course for the Opera House on Andrássy Avenue to host such carnival-season events for charitable purposes.

The beneficiaries of this refined gaiety included the Volunteer Ambulance Brigade, the University Hospital, the National Theatre and the retirement institute of the Hungarian Royal Opera.

The Budapest Opera Ball became a tradition lasting until 1934, when Ferenc Lehár served as the conductor for the evening. Afterwards, a long interval ensued. Although the building would continue to host numerous other events, it was the 1996 ball that rekindled the earlier tradition.

Montserrat Caballé and various well-known Hungarian opera singers took the stage as part of the programme, and such luminaries as Ornella Muti and Sascha Hehn also joined in on the fun on a thousand-square-metre dance floor built over the stage and auditorium. Supper was prepared by

the master chefs at Gundel, while Zwack Unicum provided the beverages. The Opera Ball name was trademarked, and the revenues from the annual event featuring international and Hungarian opera stars and ballet dancers have gone to support, for example, the Hungarian Dance Academy, the Heim Pál Children’s Hospital and children growing up without parents. After 2010, the Opera House would not only provide the venue for the ball, it also became its host. Due to the flooding of 2011, the glittering evening was cancelled and replaced with a philanthropic gala event benefiting those adversely affected. Since 2014, the carnival merriment has been given a new name each year to go along with its special theme, starting with the „Silver Rose Ball” in honour of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, where, as proof of its exclusivity, even the fragrance of the air was planned in advance.

Whereas the Opera’s 2015 event honoured the 225th anniversary of the publication of Goethe’s Faust, the Shakespeare Ball on 6 February 2016 will pay homage to the memory of the giant of English drama. In the ballroom, music from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, among other genres, will be played to entertain the guests, who after watching the outstanding programme will also get to try out some Renaissance games.

Wines and Russians Another historic ball is the Széchenyi Ball, which will welcome guests at the Vígadó Concert Hall on 31 January 2016. In 1864, after the death of Count Photo © szechenyibal.hu

Fotó © Zsófia Pályi / MAO

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István Széchenyi, the membership of the Pest National Casino he had founded organised the first Széchenyi Banquet, in accordance with the wishes of its namesake, whose desire was that each year a glass of Tokaji, his Hungarian homeland’s finest wine, be drained in his memory. The evening affair turned into one of the grandest events of the winter season. After a hiatus going back to 1942, the Széchenyi Ball was resumed at the elegant Gellért Hotel and its bath complex in 1989, and since then, in addition to providing an occasion to commemorate its namesake and entertain its participants, it has also helped to reopen the

Ball season is here

Come February, come the

T ext : Júlia Szászi

Photo © oroszbal.hu

The Ball of Hungarian Wines is being held, for the eleventh time, on 27 February 2016, with the InterContinental Budapest serving as the venue. In addition to Hungary’s most successful winemakers, public figures and diplomats also enjoy attending this event, which is just as top-notch as the libations on offer.

The Budapest Russian Ball on 5 March 2016 is always held close to International Women’s Day, when it will be hosted at the InterContinental. The multicultural event is not just an occasion for native speakers of Russian to meet; in addition to the Hungarian guests, many people come to the function from other countries as well in order watch the performance by the Moscow State Dance Theatre, as well as folk music and dance, to learn about the ins and outs of cutting shadow pictures or using an ice samovar, to participate in the vodka identification competition and to play roulette (not the Russian kind) in the casino.

Hungarian State Opera Budapest, District VI., Andrássy út 22.. operabal.hu

Who would believe that 5,000 people could fill the Vienna State Opera?

Not for a single performance, of course, but on the day of “the ball”, when the rows of chairs are removed and the building is duly decorated. This upcoming ball will be the 60th, and there’s no argument that it is among the traditions the Viennese are most proud of.

The first ball was held in 1935, shortly before the annual event was forced into a temporary recess after World War II. After repairs to the building were completed, the balls resumed with only one exception, in 1991, during the Persian Gulf War. Participating in the debutante dance remains just as much an honour for parents and their children as it was years ago in the past. The young ladies and gentlemen put a lot of work into earning this distinction, for the selection exam following exhausting dance sessions is quite challenging, and it is only after this that practices for the ball begin. Parents must reach deep into their pockets, for in addition to the dancing lessons, the attire costs more than a pretty penny too. But it is all worth it: on the big day in the boxes the parents can sit proudly, alongside celebrities and notable figures, who in addition to the dancing youngsters are never far from television cameras. This is a vanity fair, and those who consider it an important part of their social class would never miss it.

The programme in collaboration with the renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera’s ballet dancers and excellent singers, is always of a high standard. The decorations – always in harmonising colours – are tens of thousands of flowers. There are no performances on the evening before the ball, and returning the building to its original state takes approximately 24 hours. (On this day, performances for children are held on the terrace on the building’s top floor inside a tent for this explicit purpose).

What all of this also means is that the Opera Ball also provides jobs, and not only for those involved in the preparations and post-production. This is peak season for hair stylists, cosmeticians, tailors and seamstresses, as well as dance and etiquette teachers, not to mention florists and caterers. At the same time, Vienna’s mayor organises entertainment for the homeless and migrants in the nearby Rathaus. This event does not have an admission fee, nor is there a dress code, and everything is free.

Photo © Getty Images

Photo © AP Photo/Ronald Zak

Vienna Opera Ball

Photo © borbal.hu

Cave Church on the Gellért Hill and contributed to erecting memorial sites for Széchenyi and to the operation of the Ments Életet (“Save a Life”) Foundation. Last year, the Széchenyi Society changed the venue to the Vigadó Concert Hall, but the programme remains unchanged: a gloriously colourful opening dance, Gypsy music, a supper featuring a menu full of special delicacies and, naturally, Tokaji wine.

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Ball season is here Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

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Perfume is a dangerous weapon The perfumist Zsolt Zólyomi was responsible for the fragrance of the 2014 Silver Rose Ball at the Hungarian State Opera.

The invitations were scented, as were the taxis, the interior and the entire Opera House. At the end of the event, each guest received a vial of the unique perfume to remind them of the evening’s inimitable atmosphere at home.

} Royal Diamonds Jewellery

Photo © Balázs Csizik / MITTECOMM

Is a different type needed for a formal ball than might be appropriate for less formal but nonetheless elegant parties?

- The occasion requires something different, what we call an occasion scent. For these celebratory events, people experience the extremes that live inside them.

But no matter how we look at it, perfume is a dangerous weapon, and it is of no little consequence how we are armed as we go forth into the battle of the

- No, of course not! I consider it one of the most pleasant moments in life when, halfway between the cloakroom and the stage at a ball, I can stop in a window recess and let people just walk by. With a flute of champagne in my hand, I close my eyes and allow the many fragrances to take their effect on me. The many scents transport me to the Promised Land.

Photos © Royal Diamonds

What type of components were characteristic of that magical perfume?

- The base scent was provided by delightful irises from Florence. This powdery, aristocratic scent was used in abundance by Baroque and Rococo-era nobility in Italy.

sexes… We can enchant or send someone head over heels with a well-chosen perfume – and, yes, I am deliberately using the language of war. In the past, it was no coincidence that, in the months of preparation leading up to the ball, preparation of the perfect perfume was also undertaken in addition to that of the dresses. It was customary for patrons to arrive wearing uniquely “tailored” perfumes for gatherings of this sort. My experience at present is that as Carnival approaches, I suddenly receive a great increase in the amount of personal inquiries from ladies and gentlemen alike.

Visitors can discover elaborate world-class jewellery in Dalszinház Street located next door to the Hungarian State Opera House. This salon primarily offers diverse collections of unique precious gemstone jewellery. The store’s vibrancy is increased by diamond and coloured gemstone-decorated everyday jewellery, as well as special wedding collections and a unique engagement ring selection. The unique pieces are manufactured in an excellent Italian factory.

Does it bother you when you attend a ball and your sensitive nose is trampled by a stampede of fragrances?

Royal Diamonds Ékszerház Kft. Budapest 1061, Dalszínház u. 8.

Ball season is here

Photos © Hotel Prestige Budapest

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A new “posh” hotel for Budapest With its doors just barely open to the public, the four-star Prestige Hotel Budapest has already climbed high in the rankings on TripAdvisor, one of the world’s leading travel websites.

With its doors just barely open to the public, the four-star Prestige Hotel Budapest has already climbed high in the rankings on TripAdvisor, one of the world’s leading travel websites.

The popular portal lists more than 300 hotels in the Hungarian capital, so visitors to the city will find themselves spoiled for choice. On what basis should they make their selection? On the number of stars the hotel has or its location? Should they look at the price or quality of services? These are important factors, but it is not easy for the hotels either if they wish to set themselves apart. “There is a huge offering of four star hotels in Budapest,” admits Miklós Gaál, manager of Prestige Hotel Budapest.

The hotel evokes and combines contemporary modernism with the elegance of the prosperous and peaceful late 19th century period in Budapest. The Prestige Hotel Budapest might be called a “posh” hotel in terms of its interior design, decor and colour scheme, so high-quality fittings and exceptional standards of service are a given.

The Jordanian owner Mazen Al Ramahi, who has lived in Budapest for almost a quarter of a century, envisioned a premium category hotel for guests who are receptive to high-quality surroundings. In the case of the Prestige Hotel Budapest, a multi-billion forint project, quality took precedence over monetary concerns.

The lobby is filled with IPE Cavalli sofas, and a Masiero Luxury Magnifica crystal

chandelier hangs from a ceiling high above. The furniture and wallpaper for the four room types are all made by Harlequin Leonida and the Hungarian designers did a fantastic job with these first-class materials, creating a genuine work of art for lovers of stylish interiors.

Those who enjoy local specialities during their travels will also not be disappointed. Not only will visitors find paintings by contemporary Hungarian artists in the building, but they will also come across hand-painted Zsolnay porcelains, which the owners do not believe should be locked in display cabinets. For genuine Hungarian flavours, the “little sibling” of the Michelin-starred Costes restaurant, Costes Downtown, is located in the building. The restaurant’s dishes are made largely from Hungarian ingredients and embody the same concept as the hotel: everyone here is passionate about hospitality and service. (x) Prestige Hotel Budapest Budapest, District V., Vigyázó Ferenc u. 5.

Phone: +36 1 920 1000 • Fax: +36 1 920 1001 E-mail: prestigebudapest@zeinahotels.com Web: www.prestigehotelbudapest.com

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Ball season is here

The classic

evening gown can be varied for years T ext : Zsuzsa Mรกtrahรกzi โ ข P hotos : Manier.hu

Ball season is here

One person who wouldn’t mind seeing more elegant society events making up the Hungarian ball season is costume- and fashion-designer Anikó Németh, who naturally brings a professional eye to how the guests are dressed at these leading winter-season affairs. She shakes her head, though, when she sees people arriving at these balls in cocktail dresses or summer attire when evening gowns are called for, and also at debutantes insisting on wearing frothy, snow-white dresses. „These pieces reminiscent of bridal gowns might look spectacular while dancing,” she explains, „but I still don’t consider the trend to be something to be followed. For young girls, pastels and classic materials positioned anywhere on the skin colour scale are in order.

How many balls can one attend wearing the same evening gown?

– I believe that the best evening attire is the kind that can be varied, updated time and again with some eye-catching jewellery or a stole, or a spectacular fur collar or trimming, or a marvellous belt. The possibilities are practically endless.

One woman I once made a gown for went to balls all over Europe in it, and only sixteen years later did she tell me that it was time to design another, because she was starting to get tired of it. I favour colourful clothes, but I warn the ladies against „overdoing” pinks, yellows or frothy tulles. The garment’s colour also has to be aligned to the wearer’s own personality and skin and hair colour, but this is something that every knowledgeable woman knows, even without a fashion designer’s help.

If right now, at the end of 2015, an average-sized middle-aged woman asked you to recommend ball attire for her, what advice would you give her?

– Naturally, this depends on the given personality, but I wouldn’t recommend a dress that fully reveals the body for anyone, especially for someone whose figure is not quite perfect, although evening gowns can have a narrower, body-hugging silhouette. Those who have been favoured by fate or who have managed to look after their bodies can choose a backless design or one displaying their décolletage, which are quite decorative elements. For me, however, it is the quality of the material that is the deciding factor: I recommend using high-quality classic materials. Lace is still highly fashionable, but of course it’s worthwhile selecting high-quality lace as well. It looks nice when a low-key base dress is adorned with lace of a different colour or colours. I really like muslin, because it accentuates the figure nicely, and the shifting of the material caused by the movement of the body while dancing is really showy. In addition, one can choose bolder colours for this material.

How long before the ball should one contact the salon to have a gown made?

– I consider it ideal if we can start the advance preparations and design one month before the dress is required, especially if the customers are coming up with ideas that seem a bit wild at first. I’m always more than happy to meet such requirements. For example, it was a pleasure to make a reality out of the fantasy of decorating the evening gown and part of its bolero with colourful ribbons, like some kind of plumage. We used several hundred metres of satin ribbon, and it looked very spectacular the way the ribbons seemed to take on a life of their own with every movement the wearer made, or even just with the currents in the air.

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Photo Š with the permission of ADS Service Kft.

Budapest

on the big screen The Hungarian capital has a certain magic to it that Europe’s other metropolises cannot offer. The secret lies in Budapest’s diversity.

In part this derives from the fact that the city unified from three very different towns in 1873: the German industrialist populated Pest, the castle district inhabited by the royal court and aristocrats in Buda, and the market town of Óbuda.

Unification brought with it substantial developments, therefore the old and new found themselves juxtaposed with each other to which architecture had to adapt, so that one can find neo-gothic, neo-baroque and neo-renaissance buildings, all with a touch of romanticism. Hospitality, tourism and cultural objects harmonised with these stylistic advances. Therefore it is no wonder that Budapest frequently appears in films and television series, for medieval programmes are just as easy to produce as contemporary spy films. } Locations in Budapest

The main building at the Budaörs Airport was constructed in the Art Deco period and served as the set for one of the scenes from the film The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Budapest on the big screen

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Hollywood on the shores of the Danube T ext : András Oláh • P hotos : MitteComm

The Hungarian capital continues to solidify its prominent position in both the Hollywood and European film industries. Budapest is considered the second most important filming location in Europe after London, owing to the city’s rich and varied architectural heritage, as well as to geographical endowments that allow it to play the role of other important cities, which it has frequently filled in for in the past.

Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson in a scene from I Spy on the Saint Gellért Embankment.

An exotic location in the Eastern Bloc

Melissa McCarthy, Selena Gomez, Glenn Close, Bruce Willis and Robert Pattinson are just a few of the Hollywood stars who have in recent years appeared on Budapest’s streets. But the relationship between the American and Hungarian film industries goes back over 50 years. The first co-production was The Golden Head (1964), a family-oriented film in which the children of a British police officer holidaying in Hungary track down stolen treasure.

The film stars George Sanders and Buddy Hackett criss-crossing Budapest from Óbuda to the Keleti Railway Station, before crossing the Chain Bridge and visiting the Matthias Church. One of the film’s key scenes takes place on the Elisabeth Bridge, which was under construction at the time.

During the communist era, the Eastern Bloc provided western film-makers with exotic locations as well as cheap working conditions, while the influx of western currency made the arrangement desirable for the dictatorship. It was for this reason that Bluebeard (1972) starring Richard Burton was fil-

med in Budapest, with the Opera House, Óbuda’s Fô Square and the city zoo portraying Vienna.

In 1974, Woody Allen’s Love and Death, a satire of Russian literature also starring Diane Keaton used the Opera House and the streets of Buda’s Castle District to portray 19th century St Petersburg.

In the 1980s, the number of foreign productions filming in Budapest increased, and, due to the work of the Hungarian-American producer Andrew G. Vajna, both Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger paid a visit to Hungary. The actor famous for portraying Rocky and Rambo starred in 1981’s Escape to Victory set in World War II Paris, in which Allied prisoners of war and Nazi soldiers square off in a football match.

The film also featured Michael Caine and Max von Sydow, as well as football greats Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles and Pelé. California’s future governor starred in 1988’s Red Heat, with several Moscow scenes filmed downtown and at the Royal Palace in Buda.

Budapest on the big screen

Bigger and bolder

Thanks to the participation of Andrew G. Vajna, a large production arrived to Hungary when Saint Stephen’s Basilica, the Museum of Ethnography, the Hungarian State Opera and the streets in the vicinity of Szabadság Square were transformed into Buenos Aires for the musical Evita (1996) starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. With the film I Spy (2002), Budapest finally had the chance to portray itself, even if the movie was not the box office success that it was hoped to be.

In addition to the comedic spy film, the streets of Pest have been the ideal backdrop for cities such as London, Paris, East Berlin, Moscow and Kiev.

In Spy Game (2001), Robert Redford taught Brad Pitt about Cold War tactics at a table overlooking Astoria, while in Stephen Spielberg’s Munich

(2005) the streets of Budapest doubled for London, Paris and Rome as the film’s Mossad agents led

by Eric Bana and Daniel Craig pursued the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorists. It was in Budapest’s Paris Court building that Mark Strong learned just how dangerous the KGB can be in the opening scene from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011). And CIA agents once again lead the charge in one of the biggest comedies of summer 2015 as Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham and Jude Law starred in Spy, in which Budapest played not only itself, but Paris and Rome too.

The bronzed arcade of the Parisian Court decorated for a Paris scene during the filming of Spy.

A rotating cast of characters

The modification of the Film Law in 2004 gave the local film industry a further boost with a 20% tax rebate. The increasing competition for film productions in Central Europe since the 1990s has seen Prague as the main competitor, but Bucharest, Belgrade and Sofia have also joined the competition in the past decade, which resulted in this rebate being raised to 25% in 2014.

Film producers have responded favourably to the new conditions established by the tax incentives. Several new film studios have been built in the Budapest region in addition to stateowned Mafilm, such as the Hungarian-owned Stern Film Studio (2006) in Pomáz, the Korda Studios (2007) in Photo © Universal Pictures

Another note of interest is two versions of The Phantom of the Opera that were produced in Budapest in the same decade. In 1983, the central role was performed by Maximilian Schell, while the part was played in 1989 by Robert Englund, best known for portraying Freddy Krueger. Ironically, it was not the Hungarian State Opera building that featured in both films, but the equally imposing Comedy Theatre that stepped in to portray the London and Budapest operas.

In the 1990s, the former Eastern Bloc countries stirred the West’s curiosity, and owing to the new opportunities and cheap labour costs, several low-budget productions were filmed in Hungary.

Among these, productions by HBO are the most prominent. The made-for-television biographical films The Josephine Baker Story with Lynn Whitfield (1991) and Stalin with Robert Duvall (1992), as well as 1995’s Citizen X about the capture of Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo starring Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland were all filmed here, as was Rasputin (1996) starring Alan Rickman and Ian McKellen.

Photo © InterCom Zrt.

The Phantom – in two versions

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Robert Redford and Brad Pitt atop the Georgia building at Astoria.

Budapest on the big screen

A New York street set at Korda Studios in Etyek, west of Budapest.

The command centre from Ridley Scott’s film The Martian, filmed in the supermodern Bálna events centre located on the Danube embankment.

Etyek, and the studios of the European headquarters of Hollywood’s largest independent studio located at Raleigh Studios Budapest (2010).

In recent decades, more than 200 productions have been shot in Hungary, in part on sets built in the studios, and in part in outdoor locations.

Budapest has stood in for 30 countries and 80 cities, most frequently as Paris, Berlin, London and Moscow. The area surrounding the Hungarian State Opera and Andrássy Avenue usually stands in for Paris and Rome, such as in Bel Ami (2011) with Robert Pattinson and in Monte Carlo (2011) with Selena Gomez, for example. The Gerlóczy Café on Kamermayer Square and Aulich Street next to Szabadság Square has also been chosen for this purpose.

Photo © InterCom Zrt.

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The interior of the Hungarian State Opera has stood in for the opera houses of Vienna, London and St Petersburg, as well as the opera house in Paris (Meeting Venus, 1991). The Museum of Ethnography’s imposing hall has been an elegant party location (Spy) and the Vatican Library in the Anthony Hopkins horror film The Rite (2011).

The Buda Royal Palace and the Museum of Fine Arts has “performed” as the corridors of the Kremlin in both A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and in the film adaptation of Jonas Jonasson’s book The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2014). Looking at the crowded restaurants and cafés in Gozsdu Court in the old Jewish Quarter, it is difficult to imagine that this was the scene of car chases less than 15 years ago.

In the action-horror film Underworld (2003), Kate Beckinsale wandered this area not long after jumping from the Klotild Palace’s tower at Ferenciek Square.

NASA in the Bálna

The city’s new sites have not escaped filmmakers’ attention either. Eötvös Street, opening off Andrássy Avenue, is also a favourite. It filled in for 19th century Baltimore in The Raven (2012) with John Cusack. Ridley Scott’s The Martian (2015) starring Matt Damon was largely filmed in Hungary, with the Bálna events centre’s internal and external spaces depicting NASA facilities, while the Müpa performing arts centre and the housing estate in Békásmegyer depicted Chinese and North Korean locations respectively.

Those unfamiliar with Budapest can easily become familiar with Hollywood’s favourite filming locations. The team from moviewalking.com and

Photo © kordafilmpark.hu

Budapest on the big screen

chainlessbudapest.com organise English-language thematic sightseeing walks. Their 2-3 hour tours introduce familiar and secret downtown filming locations, behind-the-scenes secrets and show the film scenes in question on their tablets. For those even more interested in the world of film, it is worth visiting the Korda Film Park (www.kordafilmpark.hu) next to Korda Studios in Etyek, 30 kilometres west of Budapest. By appointment only, you can visit the sets for Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and The Borgias television series with Jeremy Irons.

An interactive guide in the visitor centre introduces the audio and visual tricks of film production and a traditional exhibit shows the life and times of the three Korda brothers: Sir Alexander Korda, who played a pivotal role in the early British film industry, Hollywood director-producer Zoltán Korda, and the set designer and artist Vince Korda. The Filmbuilding experience provides guests the opportunity to film a short comedy in which the participants can be the heroes of a 3-6 minute short film with a theme of their choosing.

This will then be screened and can even be mailed to the guests. Other features are a stunt show, a casting session and the opportunity to try one’s hand at dubbing. If that is not enough, visitors can join the Etyek forensics team to test their detective skills and solve a murder committed during filming.

Budapest will return to the silver screen

In 2016 as Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones and Omar Sy star in the adaptation of the Dan Brown novel Inferno, while Rowan Atkinson will shoot two Maigret films for British television channel ITV, and Jonathan Pryce will play one of the leads in the

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dystopian adaptation of Hungarian writer György Dragomán’s novel The White King.

Budapest’s history of being a location for world-famous celebrities is not confined to feature films. In 1985, for one of the decade’s most famous music video clips, Money for Nothing, Dire Straits filmed a few scenes with Elsô Emelet while on tour in Budapest. Including a video sequence shot at the Fishermen’s Bastion, this was the first video to feature computer animation. In 1994, Michael Jackson filmed a monumental promotional video for his album HIStory, in which the Chain Bridge, Royal Palace and a digitally altered Heroes’ Square take centre stage. The following decade featured female artists, such as when Gwen Stefani filmed a scene for her song Early Winter in 2006. She used the Nyugati Railway Station’s royal waiting room, which is off limits to the public.

In 2010 Katy Perry lit fireworks at Astoria and the Royal Palace for her song Firework, and a year later Selena Gomez, in Budapest for a film, played the

role of a secret agent on the streets of Budapest in the video for her song Round and Round.

In recent decades, the advertising industry has also discovered the possibilities the city has to offer. In 2012, Hugh Jackman tried to run away from an overeager fan on a bicycle while out jogging in a Lipton Iced Tea advertisement. In 2013, the directors Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola filmed a romantic three-part short film with Léa Seydoux for Prada’s Candy L’Eau perfume. The actress and the directors may have even been inspired by the scenes they shot in the Paris Department Store and the Csepel Worker’s Home when it came to creating the atmosphere for their next collaboration, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

A chase scene from A Good Day to Die Hard being filmed at Kálvin Square.

Budapest on the big screen

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“We’ve come a long way…”

A V ndy ajna on the hungarian film industry T ext : András Oláh

What convinced you to return to Hungary in the 1980s when it was still under communism? What was the reason behind shooting Escape to Victory and the Russian parts of Red Heat in Hungary?

– We ended up selling Escape to Victory to Warner Brothers and Lorimar, but producer Freddie Fields asked me where we were planning to shoot it. I told him we chose Hungary, because it had cheap labour, great locations, good film crews, a fantastic history in film making, and Germany and soccer are both close to Hungary. So they came here, did the location scouting and decided to do the movie here, which turned out to be a good choice.

With Red Heat, we wanted to shoot in Russia, but it was very difficult and we couldn’t get a permit despite trying for a year. So I told director Walter Hill, let’s do it in Hungary. We can make it look and feel like Russia, because usually they use Finland for Russia but this time Hungary fit the bill. And the same thing as earlier: good crews, great locations, and on that occasion it was very important that Arnold, who is Austrian, felt comfortable shooting in Hungary. Actually, in the end, we did end up shooting in Moscow for three days.

Sylvester Stallone and Pelé in Escape to Victory.

Photo © FDA

A refugee in 1956 who became a Hollywood producer, Andrew G. Vajna has been the government commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry since 2010. The producer of such action classics as Rambo and, the third and fourth instalments in the Terminator series and memorable dramas like Medicine Man, Tombstone and The Scarlett Letter was also keen on making movies in his homeland from time to time throughout his carrier.

Was it easier or more difficult to shoot films like Evita and I Spy in Hungary after the fall of communism?

– Before the fall, Mafilm was the only company you could talk to about making movies. They had all the crews, made all the contracts, got all the location permits, and because they were a government organisation, it was very simple. There wasn’t as much red tape with all the town halls of different city districts and the municipal governments giving individual permits. But in those days Hungary wasn’t considered a great place for filming so I had to convince director Alan Parker to come to Budapest, take a look, make sure it fits Argentina the way we wanted and when he saw what he could do here, he decided it was a great place to shoot the film. I Spy was already designed for Budapest so it was an easier choice. Additionally, the director fell in love with the skyline of the city looking over the Danube.

Budapest on the big screen

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that granting location permits would be simple and smooth, and the prices would be published so that no one would have to guess how much it would cost. Of course the 20% subsidy was a big slice of the budget, which they received as a rebate.

Subsequently, I raised that to 25%, which is one quarter of the movie’s budget, which is a big chunk of financing. We also created a deposit account at the Hungarian National Film Fund in order to provide the producers with the rebates from this 25% according to the production schedule of the films.

When I became commissioner, the films produced here brought in roughly 5 million USD annually, but this year it will be 250 million, so I think we have come a long way. We are the largest producers of films compared to our GDP in all of Europe, which is 0.15%. We have become a very attractive country to shoot in, our locations fit just about any European city, and we can do some American scenes here as well. For period pieces, we have studio sets in the Mafilm lot, while in Etyek we have a New York street and the Vatican, as well as other sets.

Arnold Schwarzenegger during the filming of Red Heat in the 1980s.

You became the government commissioner of the film industry in 2010, which already had a 20% subsidy for film productions in Hungary. In what areas have you worked to improve the competitiveness of the industry?

– First, because of my previous 30 years in the film business and knowing just about everybody in Hollywood, I invited people to work here and guaranteed that the work flow would be smooth.

As one film followed another, we found a lot of the bureaucracy to be rather difficult, so our next project was to make sure

Are there any other fields in the industry that need attention?

– Our biggest problem is to do with crews. Since we’re so busy, there are an insufficient number of crews to service the film business. So now we’re starting schools in order to have a supply of good technicians. No one taught this in Hungary, they just learned it through practice. In the film sector, there’s 110% employment, so everyone who wants to work is working. As time goes by, bureaucracy creeps back into the system, so we are starting a whole new campaign to clean up the red tape.

The 25% rebate is obviously also very attractive, therefore I think everything else is going pretty smoothly.

The streets of Budapest standing in for Buenos Aires during the funeral procession scene in Evita.

Photo © BFTK Photostock / István Práczky

hungaricum:

the Hungarian mind itself We like to think that there is a positive image of the greatness, ingenuity and creativity of the Hungarian mind in the international consciousness.

We are happy to boast that the discovery of vitamin C was by the Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian physiologist Albert Szent-Györgyi.

During coffee breaks at conferences, we cleverly direct the conversation to the ballpoint pen found in someone’s pocket.

The technology was invented by Hungarian journalist Laszló József Bíró, whose brainchild is simply called a biro in many countries to this day.

} Light-transmitting concrete

Áron Losonczi’s patented light-transmitting concrete has also inspired the visual arts. Géza Széri-Varga’s work “Memorial of the Relocation between 1950 and 1953” was dedicated in District I at Szarvas Square in October 2010.

Hungaricum: the hungarian mind itself

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Holovision, the iKnife Photo © Holovizio

and laser microscopes

HoloVizió can make a flat surface appear three dimensional without any additional aids.

Over the last six or seven years, the number of new patents filed in Hungary has nearly doubled. With the shrinking of market opportunities following the 2008 financial crisis, Hungarian enterprises had to find new paths for success. According to the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, many of the new inventions show promise for the national economy, and may one day even become world renowned. For more on this, please see our Five Ingenious Inventions section.

T ext : József Gyüre

Photo © Prezi

Once we are done boasting about famous Hungarian scientists and listing their inventions, from János Irinyi’s safety match to the solar energy storage systems invented by Mária Telkes, who was nicknamed the “Sun Queen”, we’re instantly presented with the question: if we Hungarians are so smart, then why is Hungary not a great solar cell powerhouse? And why is it not a world

Prezi’s innovative team employs its staff in a former telephone exchange hall.

leader in holograms or nuclear fusion? Hungarians discovered all of these, yet other nations and countries profit from them. Just as with Biro’s pen, it was the English, French and Germans who created a joint-stock company, and it was the American Ideal Toy Company that made Ernô Rubik’s famous cube a worldwide sensation.

The answer was not easy to find, and is even more difficult for Hungarians to digest. As the country director for one of the “Big Four” auditing and tax consulting companies observed: “While Hungarians are world famous in the realm of technical and scientific innovations, they are legendarily bad at business innovation.” As we can only sell and introduce to other nations that which we already know of, the government decided a few years ago to place Hungarian intellectual and material works

Hungaricum: the hungarian mind itself

A characteristic design from Nanushka’s 2015 autumn collection.

into a depository, separating those that are quintessentially Hungarian under the “Hungaricum” moniker. They also created a favourable business climate for new start-ups to help them discover the most state-of-the-art technical and IT solutions.

László Vass’s shoe factory is internationally recognised as a luxury brand.

Of course, those visiting Hungary do not exactly want to take a laser microscope or digital laboratory home with them, even if they are visiting for medical treatment.

Hungary today offers world-class private health clinics, such as the Duna Medical Center, which among other things is equipped with the latest innovations in medical technology.

Naturally, those visiting Hungary to take in traditional culture and see tourist sights Photo © Károly Szelényi – Magyar Képek Kft.

Photo © Nanushka

There have been definitive results: although we could not keep medical researcher Professor Zoltán Takáts’s revolutionary cancer-detecting iKnife in Hungary (the Waters Corporation of Massachusetts acquired the technology), Áron Losonczi won a lawsuit against HeidelbergCement after it tried to pass off his invention LiTraCon (translucent cement) as its own. There’s even an example of a large company founded by young Hungarians opening an office in Silicon Valley: Prezi, the most successful Hungarian start-up to date, re-imagined the process of creating presentations and taught PowerPoint a valuable lesson in the process. It was also from Budapest that the Pakistani Shehryar Piracha launched his commercial coupon websites and conquered the online world.

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} KE Fashion Erika Judit Kovács launched her com-

pany KE Fashion Designer in autumn 2015 in the heart of downtown on Hajós Street. She submitted her first competition entry at 15, and after winning received the opportunity to travel to Toronto. As a Hungarian fashion designer, her work focuses on bridal and casual dress. “One of my specialties is that seemingly every item I design features hand-made embroidery or beading,” she said. The young designer is also the creative director for the Hungarian fashion technology company TryMee. She designs her clothes not only by hand, but with innovative and modern solutions such as 3D software. The salon has a 3D full-body scanner, which is capable of producing a true-to-life, photorealistic avatar. With TryMee, she is capable of designing precise, custom tailored clothes without needing to call her customers back for fittings, who can see themselves in the finished product at any time, from anywhere around the world.

fashiondesigner.hu/en/

Hungaricum: the hungarian mind itself

Photo © gomboc.eu

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} Two ways of looking at things

Péter Várkonyi and Gábor Domokos’s special invention the “gömböc” is the only object to have a single stable and single instable point.

www.mediso.com

Photo © pleasemachine.me

cannot go without trying the national spirit pálinka, our delicious wines or famous Hungarian sweets and pastries. As for the atmosphere of old Budapest, the handmade shoes by László Vass or the Juhos Cipômanufaktúra can be of assistance, while Anna Zaboeva’s clothing label brings the vibrant modern Budapest to mind.

Fashion is one of the reasons why a trip to the Hungarian capital is worthwhile: the Design Terminal’ s annual Gombold újra! (“Button it once more”) international competition invites Central European designers.

This event is of great assistance to designers just starting out as it can generate international fame and recognition. It’s no secret that the event’s aim is to increase the numA piece from Anna Zaboeva’s 2015 collection. ber of Hungarian and internationally recognised fashion labels, such as Nanushka, whose clothes have been worn by world-famous stars on the covers of international fashion magazines.

Mediso’s nanoScan PET/MRI is a molecular imaging system suitable for examining laboratory animals. It combines two traditional methods into one piece of equipment: positron emission tomography (PET) used in isotope diagnostics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This PET/MRI device is designed to assist research and is the first fully integrated piece of equipment in the world to also become commercially available.

Mediso is one of Hungary’s most innovative companies and competes with international giants such as General Electric, Philips, Siemens and Toshiba.

} Rise of the holograms

Holografika, founded in 1996, develops holographic products like those familiar to us from sci-fi films. The Hungarian company produces (patent-protected) holographic and three-dimensional equipment that may be the foundation for future 3D television technology. Holografika has taken its proprietary holographic 3D HoloVizio display system to market and began selling their three dimensional monitors ten years ago in fields were three dimensional data was already available, such as medical and scientific imaging, design and air traffic control. Holografika collaborates with numerous international companies and co-owns patents with Sony. www.holografika.com

Hungaricum: the hungarian mind itself

} Three-dimensional laser microscopes Femtonics, which cultivates close relationships with academic institutes and universities, recently developed a new laser microscope featuring 11 patents. The devices assist cutting-edge brain research at great speed by measuring neuron activity three dimensionally, making it possible to observe the workings of the neural network. Thanks to the unique optical innovations found nowhere else in the world, the microscope can measure the activity of several hundred neurons at once, while we can also study the exceptionally fast information exchange processes via neuron projections.

Using the microscopes, researchers have been able to significantly improve measurement speeds and the amount of information that can be collected. Measurements by the Hungarians are a million times faster than products using similar technology produced by the “microscope giants”. More than 20 such pieces of equipment have been put to work worldwide.

femtonics.eu

} Digital laboratory

3DHistech married traditional microscopy with digital image processing. Their virtual microscope offers doctors and expert advisers working remotely the opportunity to provide a fast diagnosis based on scanned tissue samples. Pathology was the final medical frontier to remain untouched by the digital revolution. This invention by the innovative Hungarian enterprise was sold for a time by Carl Zeiss under its own brand, but once the agreement expired in 2009, the rights returned to the Hungarian company. With digital pathology, diagnosis is more precise and effective, and the technology can help establish a treatment plan for oncological therapy while also making remote consultations possible. Patented internationally, more than 400 Hungarian-developed digital pathology systems are now used in 40 countries around the world.

3dhistech.com

} Vertebral fixation Hungarian-style

Had star striker Neymar fractured a vertebra more severely at last year’s World Cup in Brazil, it is highly likely he would have become familiar with a small Hungarian company’s tool for fixing broken bones and vertebra. Sanatmetal’s traumatology products incorporate 16 patents and are primarily self-developed. They are far more advanced than products by competitors, standing their ground alongside the surgical implants sold by market-leading international companies. The form-protected design of the implants and tools guarantee that surgery is precise and quick, and patented designs offer unique solutions to common challenges in the operating theatre. Sanatmetal is a supplier to DePuy Johnson & Johnson, Simmer, Biomet and Kobayashi, and exports to 30 countries. In addition to the European Union, the enterprise’s products can be found on the American continents, in the Arab World and in Asia.

sanatmetal.hu

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Photo Š Hotel Corinthia Budapest

City Guide Budapest is frequently called the city of waters owing to its impressive thermal baths that are especially popular in the winter. Additionally, the city is home to an enormous water park that also offers guests the opportunity to refresh themselves, with the majority of outstanding hotels also featuring pools.

During winter, guests prefer to sit inside restaurants as opposed to nibbling on a sandwich while sitting on a bench. On this occasion, our culinary features will highlight restaurants serving French cuisine.

Following Christmas the festivities surrounding the New Year arrive, which in turn give way to the ball season. We have several event suggestions worth opening a bottle of bubbly for.

} The marble-floored ballroom in the Corinthia Hotel Budapest

The ballroom was the most popular concert room at the turn of the 20th century, later becoming the country’s most popular cinema. It regained its former glory in 1991.

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City guide

Traditional yet modern

The former Hotel Royal is the star attraction of Erzsébet körút T ext : Julia Szászi • P hotos : Hotel Corinthia Budapest

Budapest owes much to the millennial celebrations of 1896. Vienna, the other metropolis on the Danube does as well, since the road that encompasses the city centre, the Ring, developed during the same period and to this day is lined with palaces, cafés and restaurants.

A Grand Boulevard (Nagykörut in Hungarian) was also built in Pest, with one of its finest buildings being the Corinthia Hotel Budapest, the magnificence of which recalls the hotel’s original grandeur from 1896, when it was called the Grand Hotel Royal.

The grand boulevard’s route was set in 1870, at the same time that the plans for Andrássy Avenue were drawn up. The latter was opened to the public in 1876, receiving its final form in 1884, which is when development reached a fever pitch on the ring boulevard. One of its central elements was the Hotel Royal, which was built to accommodate visitors to the 1896 Millennial Exhibition, and its ceremonial opening coincided with the event.

The ceremony was attended by a veritable who’s who of contemporary Pest society, including notable foreign figures of the era. The luxury hotel was built in two years using state-of-the-art technology in French Renaissance style by Dezsô Ray, who also designed the Lukács Spa. The 350 guest rooms and staff rooms were complimented by a post office, bank, hairdresser and ticket office

in the basement – practically a city within the city designed to accommodate any needs guests may have. Two restaurants, a cafe and a Gerbeaud confectionary awaited guests, with the ballroom hosting concerts by such luminaries as Béla Bartók and other significant contemporary musicians, owing to the nearby location of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.

La Bohème It was not long before the period’s renowned literary figures became regulars, such as the writers, poets and journalists from the periodical Nyugat, among them Jenô Heltai, Gyula Krúdy, Sándor Hunyadi and Lajos Nagy, who were always happy to meet in the Royal Café. Occasionally, they would even spend the night at the hotel.

City guide

As if it were not enough that the hotel quickly became the era’s centre of social life on account of its worldly elegance, the Royal played a grand role in Hungarian cultural history as one of the cradles of Hungarian cinema. On 15 March 1896, barely two weeks after opening and only four and a half months after the first public viewing in Paris, the Grand Hotel Royal debuted the Lumière brothers’ invention at the first film screening in Hungary. Regular screenings were held from 1915 in the thousand-seat Royal Apollo Theatre created from the ballroom.

Reconstructed after the war and reopened in 1956 as the Red Star Cinema, older residents still called it the Royal or Apollo.

The cinema’s later history was not free from troubles either.

The same year that it reopened, the theatre’s interior burned down. It reopened in 1961, along with the hotel, from which point forward it operated continuously as one of the most comfortable, modern and elegant cinemas in Pest until closing in 1996. Many successful films had their premiers here, with famous international celebrities entering the auditorium on its red carpet.

A dark chapter from history There was also a dark period in the hotel’s past, since the Gestapo took up residence in the final months of World War II, making it their Budapest headquarters. The reason was probably the hotel’s central location and that its rooms contained telephones, not to mention that it had its own generator, which was of importance during the air raids that regularly cast Budapest into darkness.

The building survived the war in good condition, and after the Gestapo moved out it was used as an office building until 1953.

That year, it reopened as a hotel with 170 rooms, but things did not run smoothly for long. Blasted by tanks in 1956, the interior consequently burned out. Renovation works progressed slowly, but the hotel eventually reopened in 1961. In the 1960s, the hotel once again thrived, although the clientele were not the same as during its golden age before the war. The large halls hosted balls and dances as important guests continued to visit the hotel, which by that time had expanded to 367 rooms. The carefully preserved original guestbook reveals some notable names: Josephine Baker, Max Reinhardt, Asta Nielsen, Feodor Chaliapin, Valdemar Psilander, the heart surgeon Professor Barnard, Roberto Benzi, Mario del Monaco, Anna Moffo, Renata Scotto, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Amerigo Tot, Valentina

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Tereshkova, Mikhail Gorbachev, José Carreras, Paul Anka, Donald Sutherland, Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu – just to name a few celebrities who spent a night here over the years.

The hotel’s history took a few strange twists following 1961 as well. A quarter of a century after Jenô Rejtô wrote his novel Vesztegzár a Grand Hotelben (“Quarantine in the Grand Hotel”), the event described in the book actually took place at the Royal.

One of the workers broke out in black spots that were first believed to be the black plague, therefore placing the location under quarantine. Although the initial diagnosis was dismissed a few days later, the 800 guests and staff spent a further three weeks in isolation. Things could have been worse as two bands were also among them, so at least there were plenty of opportunities for entertainment. Rumours also spread that many children were born to the staff nine months later, but there is no information on the guests who stayed during the quarantine.

New homeowner Following 1991, chaos surrounded the property as it faced temporary closures. The Pisani family from Malta, however, saw a future for the storied hotel and integrated it into the Corinthia Group. The building was acquired by the family in 1999, who spent 100 million euros on restoring the property to its original glory. The result was spectacular. A year after reopening in 2004, it was voted Europe’s most beautiful hotel, and it ranked highly in the Travelers’ Choice Awards category for best luxury hotels and global city hotels in 2009.

Why was that the case? Staying faithful to the original design, the building received a sixth floor with a covered atrium and expanded with the addition of 50 rooms, with the grand ballroom located at the centre of its 39 events halls. Additionally, the presidential suite bearing Franz Liszt’s name has few rivals in terms of elegance, with its 240-square-metre interior decorated by a notable designer. The hotel is characterised by an atmosphere that is modern yet at once mindful of tradition, which is what provides its elegance. All of this ensures an illustrious position among Europe’s hotels, and we certainly hope that the Corinthia Hotel Budapest’s future is far less tumultuous than its past.

Corinthia Hotel Budapest Budapest District VII., Erzsébet krt. 43-49 corinthia.com/hotels/budapest/

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City Guide

Bon Appétit!

T ext : Szonja Somogyi • P hotos : István Práczky

A striking French and British influence can be felt in the menus of elegant and trendy restaurants in Budapest.

This is no coincidence, for the culinary arts traditionally originate from France, and earning Michelin recommendations help achieve an international reputation. British gastronomy, which is modern, practical and favours organic ingredients, is an example for young Hungarian restaurateurs, some of whom maintain personal relationships with star chefs.

City Guide

many-sided, elegant and feminine

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Breakfeast

Buda chic at Villa Bagatelle vintage

Wieners and crispy bacon, which are completed with tomato confit and the strong flavour of mustard.

Naturally, fans of “more French” breakfasts will also find something to meet their expectations: croissants and jam with freshly squeezed orange juice, or the Champagne Breakfast consisting of brioche, smoked salmon, goat’s cheese and citrus mascarpone spread. A luxurious Parisian experience to be sure.

One of Buda’s best known and favourite bistros, Villa Bagatelle is located in a fairy tale villa in Buda. Owned by a married couple, this palace of feminine vintage chic is a favourite among women for breakfast between friends and discussions to start the day.

The snow-white interior speaks of clarity, while its purple accents give the space a demure, French coastal playfulness, so that business meetings and family get-togethers (assisted by a children’s corner) are equally at home here.

The thoughtfully furnished interior transports us to a welcoming holiday home on the coast, while the booklined shelves provide a sense of belonging.

Villa Bagatelle’s menu offers something for everyone: those who prefer a lighter breakfast as well as those who like to start the day with a hearty meal. Bagatelle’s breakfast is one of classic flavours: two perfectly shaped fried eggs,

In addition to the toasted sandwiches, scrambled eggs, soft-boiled eggs and classic French toast, the bistro also keeps those on a strict diet in mind: Villa Bagatelle has organic yoghurt with fresh organic fruits, fruit salads and oatmeal with coconut milk that is lactose and gluten free.

Lovers of baked goods will also be pleased to learn that Villa Bagatelle operates its own bakery on the ground floor, where they hand-make breads free from chemicals, additives and colourings, and leavened without baking powder, as well as sweet and savoury (and occasionally even sugar-free) delicacies. The still warm, mouth-watering pastries can be packed into a picnic basket and consumed in the villa’s garden from spring to autumn.

In winter, perhaps the best choice on sunny mornings is to sit in the conservatory with its relaxed coastal atmosphere and woven furniture accompanied by purple and green trimmings. The conservatory is truly a fine place to enjoy a Small Bagatelle – sweetened milk, espresso and milk foam – and a slice of chocolate cake. It’s a great way to prepare for the day ahead. Villa Bagatelle is not just a place to relax, it also has a top floor that can seat 35 and is an excellent location for company meetings and training sessions, as well as wedding receptions, birthday celebrations and family reunions.

Villa Bagatelle Brót Backery, Bistro and Salon Budapest, District XII. Németvölgyi út 17. villa-bagatelle.com

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International milieu, French cuisine

Lunch

La Perle Noire Located on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Andrássy Avenue and situated among numerous embassies close to Heroes’ Square, La Perle Noire has been recommended by the Michelin Guide for years for blending French cuisine with the creativity of modern gastronomy.

With these attributes, it is an ideal location to visit after taking in the sights in the City Park, such as Vajdahunyad Castle or the imposing statues of Heroes’ Square. After sampling the unique atmosphere of Andrássy Avenue, this is an excellent choice for lunch.

Located on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Andrássy Avenue and situated among numerous embassies close to Heroes’ Square, La Perle Noire has been recommended by the Michelin Guide for years for blending French cuisine with the creativity of modern gastronomy.

With these attributes, it is an ideal location to visit after taking in the sights in the City Park, such as Vajdahunyad Castle or the imposing statues of Heroes’ Square. After sampling the unique atmosphere of Andrássy Avenue, this is an excellent choice for lunch.

Countless shades of grey and silver were used to create an elegant interior that provides a pleasantly intimate backdrop even during the day. In addition to bays that are sufficiently sophisticated and spacious for business meetings, there is also a separate VIP room for guests should there be cause for a family or business celebration.

A real treat during the winter months is the duck liver torchon imagined by Chef László Koncz, the taste of which is surprisingly paired with green apple-flavoured black pudding balls rolled in almond crumble. A characteristic of the restaurant, after all, is its delight in inventing daring new combinations from popular flavours. It is certainly difficult to imagine the

softness and harmony of flavour of liver specially prepared over two days paired with the sausage balls hand made from French ingredients.

Goose leg, a popular dish during the winter months, also features on the menu. A crisp texture lies beneath the skin of the meat in the confit prepared with great patience and attention. The champagne red cabbage coully that surrounds the goose leg like lava presents a unity that needs no explanation for those familiar with Hungarian cuisine. For those, however, to whom this is new, there is no better place to try it than at La Perle Noire.

To close the meal off, it is probably worth trying the bourbon vanilla panna cotta with orange crocant and cointreau flavoured bloodorange, made truly exciting by a crunchy basil crumble.

The dessert that trembles like jelly from the lightest of hand movements does not show off, exaggerate, or try to become the queen of the meal by driving every taste bud wild. The blood orange puree poured precisely at the top and bottom of the martini glass has a slightly sour taste that balances the creamy sweetness and homogeneity of the vanilla treat. The panna cotta is topped with chocolate mint, cocoa crumble, raspberry, blueberry and red valerian petals that make it both well rounded and playfully unique.

La Perle Noir Budapest, District VI. Andrássy út 111. laperlenoire.hu

City Guide

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Dinner

Experiences, feelings and memories innovative dualities in

Lamb and Leo’s collection Opening barely two months ago on the Buda side in District XII, Lamb and Leo Bistro has quickly become one of the city’s newest gems.

French in name, interior, atmosphere and last but not least in the duality and playfulness of its dishes, the bistro is run by Zsolt Hampuk.

Despite his young age, he has proven himself around the world in locations such as France and Hong Kong, and has also studied under several Michelin-star winning chefs. His restaurant is a harmony of youthful vigour and the flavours and dishes that have formed and matured through consideration and years of work.

The precisely composed illusion of “relaxation” raises the truffle goose liver praline onto a pedestal, with each and every ingredient revealing great expertise. A great amount of attention is demanded by the divine melt-in-the-mouth goose liver wrapped in char-grilled onion seeds, which is paired excellently with marinated shimeji mushrooms, smoked quail’s eggs with soy sauce, and red wine jelly.

This wonder of winter tastes is a true sight that is also certain to seduce the taste buds in every season.

An entirely different world of flavours is represented by the composition named “The Sea”, which was developed by Lamb and Leo’s chef in collaboration with an Italian counterpart who has won three Michelin stars. The Aegean Sea octopus, the European seabass and the tiger prawn have their mellow marine flavours enhanced by salmon caviar and the intensity of the carpaccio prepared from scallops.

Zsolt Hampuk has made a game out of textures and combining flavours that do not go together.

This is quite apparent with the scallops served with crispy bacon, which are paired with otherworldly beetroot puree and foam, as well as with white wine celery sauce.

Of course the restaurant would not be worthy of

its name if it did not serve a truly special lamb dish. The lamb does not fail to impress three times over: the course prepared from three select portions of lamb is made from ingredients sourced from the best locations. The lamb ribs that find their way to the plate arrive from New Zealand, the sous-vide lamb knuckle is sourced from Ireland, and the liver from Hungary, with each part coming from the places where expert breeders say the animals are raised to maximise their flavour.

We might discuss the dishes invented in Lamb and Leo, how the ingredients arrive from controlled sources and the compositions are the fruits of the kitchen team’s collaboration and lengthy experimentation, but that would not be enough. “Dirty dishes still remain after a well prepared dinner. The flavours fade in our memory. That is why we consider it important to provide an experience and happiness. For it may be that the food supplies the body, but the soul is fed by experience,” Zsolt Hampuk, the owner and chef said. Cooking from the heart and soul is essential for the owner-chef, whose informal nature provides the restaurant with a sense of home for its guests. If the goal is “merely” to provide happiness, then the recently opened bistro has already succeeded.

Lamb and Leo Bistro Budapest District XII. Kiss János altábornagy utca 38. facebook.com/lambandleo

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City Guide

Family wellness

in the kingdom of eternal summer During the rough weather of autumn and winter, when we are forced to stay at our homes, besides browsing our summer photos we gladly visit wellness hotels that help us cope with dark months with their warm tenderness and water adventures reminding us of the summer.

Wellness has become the clear equivalent of relaxation, bathing and other services pampering our body and soul. However, it is only moms and dads who really understand the numerous considerations, when bringing children to such wellness activities. Is it possible to meet the needs of a sensitive baby, a restless toddler or a nearly grown-up teenager at a single venue? Can the parents have their couple ours of focusing on themselves and each other?

Aquaworld Resort Budapest Hotel and Aqua Park is a true jewel among family-friendly wellness hotels. The empire of experiences situated in the outskirts of Budapest - in the vicinity of the ever-pulsing city center, still far enough from the noise - is worth visiting during any time of the year, be it a longer stay, a wellness weekend or just a single-day family aqua adventure.

One of Middle Europe’s largest and up to par leisure centers can provide complete recreation and quality relaxation for all generations thanks to its wide range of services. The 86 thousand square meter large complex rests on 3 main pillars: the water theme park, offering oblivious entertainment and adventure, summer and winter alike, directly connected to the four-star hotel, providing high standard accommodation to guests for longer stays, and the Oriental Spa and Wellness and Fitness Center, a leading facility in the field of beauty care.

The 309 rooms of our family-friendly hotel can cover all needs: classy furnishing, comfortable beds, additionally baby beds, baby changing tables, water-heater or playpens, if necessary.

Practical joinable family rooms, where kids can spend time separately, still under watchful eyes. The family apartment, offering homelike comfort, is ideal for different generations, when arriving with grandparents, for instance.

All apartments are equipped with a microwave oven, a water-heater and cutlery, rendering them perfectly suitable for families with small children.

Free Wi-Fi in the entire hotel area. And when bath time is over, Bongo Kids Club, a playhouse with a real climbing maze is expecting the tiny ones, under the supervision of professional childminders. Older children may let off the steam on one of the squash courts of the hotel. Besides its unique attributes, the hotel’s great family-friendly offers make it a worthy destination for active recreation.

Good news is that we are offering free of charge accommodation for children under 7, and 7-14-year-olds are eligible for extra discounts.

We have a wide range of special packages, too, and if chosen wisely, a family may extend its stay by 1 night, free of charge.

One of Europe’s greatest indoor water empire, Aquaworld Aqua Park is the true experience.

The main building, which is bearing resem-

City Guide

blance to Angkor temple ruins, is surrounded by numerous pools of several thousand square meters of water surface, all awaiting bathers.

The most fancied are the curly, adrenalin rush slides. Out of the 11 slides, ‘ufo’ and ‘kamikaze’ can be considered the most exciting, whilst ‘onion’ the most fun. The children’s pool’s temperature is 32 degrees, whilst the jump and wave pools are a little colder by a couple of degrees. The more spirited may test themselves in jumping, surfing or underwater diving. Adults with smaller children aren’t doomed to boredom either, they may enjoy the paddling-pool together, participate in morning baby swimming lessons, or try the popular ‘Kerekítô’ activities, where parents and their baby may spend their time with playing games while mothers holding their babies in their lap, listening to fairy tales and instrumental music or participating in puppet gymnastics. While children are paddling in the water or playing in the dry playhouse, parents

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may have their private moments, too. The Oriental Spa’s intimate spaces and healing thermal waters glimmering under the huge dome are ideal hideouts for adults. They may enjoy complete relaxation in the three-storey center: steam room, sauna world, beauty care, massage, tanning bed, hairdresser is available, furthermore they may try our treatment room for couples, relieving them of all their troubles with a fragrant bathing followed by a pampering massage.

A place where everybody, from the smallest to the most elderly, is free to enjoy the beneficial effects of wellness - this is the true ‘Family wellness’!

Check in and chill out - in the empire of timeless summer and memories! aquaworldresort.hu

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Tamás Vásáry

Katica Illényi and the theremin The Amadinda Percussion Group

Budapest Klezmer Band

A 100 Tagú Cigányzenekar

2015 Events to round out the year Amadinda Percussion Group & Gábor Presser Liszt Academy of Music The Gypsy Princess

Budapest Operetta Theatre

The Nutcracker

National Széchényi Library

On 31 December, the atmosphere will already be exciting an hour before the clock strikes midnight, as the Amadinda Percussion Group and Gábor Presser hold their 15th New Year’s Eve Concert once again in the Liszt Academy of Music’s Grand Hall. The performance will draw on the rich and diverse styles found in music history, with the concert featuring songs that will be exclusively performed only on this evening. The year’s final moments will be rung out by Amadinda’s gong.

Imre Kálmán’s operetta The Gypsy Princess is popular worldwide in countless languages. The Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre will perform the work on 31 December in the afternoon and evening. On 1 January as part of what has more or less become a tradition, the theatre on Nagymezô Street invites guests on a musical journey with its stars, and 2016 will be no different. The biggest operetta hits will be sung, seasoned with some musical and opera pieces.

Hungarian State Opera László Bíró Memorial Exhibition

While The Nutcracker is traditionally associated with Christmas, during New Year’s Eve Johann Strauss’s operetta Die Fledermaus is an essential element of the Hungarian State Opera’s programme. An afternoon and evening performance by the company will showcase the masked ball spiced with costumed parties and several racy adventures. Johan Strauss’s perennial favourite will be performed by two casts.

The internationally acclaimed László Bíró memorial exhibition from Expo 2015 in Milan can be viewed until 2 February in the National Széchényi Library. Sándor Rácz, the exhibit’s organiser, said that they wanted to present the life of a person whose name and inventions are hardly known outside of South America, but whose ballpoint pen is called a biro in most languages.

The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra Budapest Congress Center Károly Hemzô Memorial Exhibition Hungarian National Museum The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra was included in the list of Hungaricums owing to their internationally recognised artistic and tradition-upholding work.

Each year on 30 December the orchestra performs a gala concert at the ZENE-BOR event in the Budapest Congress Center. Their guest soloist this year will be the internationally acclaimed Junior Prima Prize-winning violinist Ernô Kállai. What will set the evening apart is that prior to the concert, guests can taste wines from Hungary’s important vintners accompanied by a folk dance performance.

Károly Hemzô was an exceptionally talented and diverse photographer. There was barely an area or genre of photography in which he did not work in for some period of time. At times out of necessity, at times out of desire, but always in search of something new. Hemzô prepared fashion photos, street scenes, portraits, photo reports and food photography. He published the latter in collaboration with his journalist wife Mari Lajos in the form of a gastronomical album available in multiple languages. An exhibition in his memory can be viewed at the Hungarian National Museum until 15 March.

City guide

Budapest Klezmer Band

Budapest Congress Center Haydn: The Creation

On the first day of the New Year the Budapest Klezmer Band will perform with special guest Dóra Szinetár. Together since 1990, the band makes traditional Jewish music an exceptional experience. After Istanbul, Prague and Warsaw, the band will perform on their home territory. Many surprises await guests at the New Year’s concert, ranging from Russian pub songs to world famous hits.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9

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Hungarian State Opera

The evening on New Year’s Day will see Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 performed in the Ybl Palace with Tamás Vásáry conducting. Herbert von Karajan’s arrangement of the Ode to Joy heard in the work’s final movement is also the anthem of the European Union, so that the concert wishes not only Hungary, but the entire continent a peaceful new year.

Katica Illényi & the Corinthia Hotel Budapest Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra On 1 January 2016, by which time everyone has slept off the previous night’s festivities, the Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra will provide a pleasant afternoon concert in the Corinthia Hotel Budapest’s luxurious ballroom. The group, which specialises in the weighty music of Bach, Haydn, Beethoven and Sibelius will perform popular lighter pieces from John Strauss, Fritz Kreisler, Piazzolla and Dinicu, as well as two works by Bartók rooted in Hungarian folk music. The concert will feature soloist Katica Illényi, who will perform on violin and the theremin (the first electronic instrument) as well as sing.

Zoltán Mága – New Year’s Concert László Papp Budapest Sports Arena One of Europe’s largest New Year’s gala programmes is the 8th annual Budapest New Year’s Concert by the violin virtuoso Zoltán Mága featuring world famous celebrity guests. Once again the performance will begin at 7 pm on 1 January.

Müpa Budapest

For years it has been a tradition at Müpa Budapest to begin the New Year with a Haydn oratorio. In 2016, Ádám Fischer, conductor of the first New Year’s Concert and one of the most committed performers of Haydn’s music on the international scene will once again take the podium in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall on 1 January. The essence of this oratorio is that the chorus plays the main role, performed on this occasion by the 92-strong chorus of the Vienna State Opera.

Virtuózok

Music Academy Franz Liszt

On 1 January the Liszt Academy of Music’s Grand Hall will host a performance by Virtuózok, consisting of young Hungarian musicians together with celebrity guests.

Virtuózok is a television programme unique worldwide that searches for classical music talents, which was launched in 2015 and will continue in 2016.

The jury is comprised of highly knowledgeable musicians and is presided over by András Batta, the former rector of the Liszt Academy of Music. The New Year’s concert programme was his idea: baroque, classical and romantic master works from Vivaldi to Mozart and Chopin will be performed. The new discoveries Ivett Gyöngyösi (piano), Dániel Lugosi (clarinet) and Bianka Szauer (harp) will be joined on stage

by Erika Miklósa, soloist with the Hungarian State Opera and Levente Molnár of the Bavarian State Opera.

Ambassadors of Hungarian culture are present throughout the world. A nation’s culture is what everyone can proudly consider their own irrespective of race, religion or other association. The Small Virtuosos Foundation and its supporters, through their international network of contacts, promote the children through performance opportunities, professional programmes and master courses, for they are the next generation who will one day follow in the footsteps of Andrea Rost, Gergely Bogányi or Kristóf Barát and be worthy of representing Hungary around the world.

Events to ring in the New Year 2016 Virtuózok

Károly Hemzô

Zoltán Mága

The Gipsy Princess

City Guide

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Igudesman & Joo • Hungarian National Philharmonic • Shai Wosner • Cheikh L • Joey DeFrancesco Trio • Myung-Whun Chung • Wayne Shorter Quartet • Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala • China National Opera • Dezső Ránki • Edit Klukon • Hungarian National Philharmonic • Ula Sickle • Martin Haselböck • Staatskapelle Weimar • King’s Singers • Mozarteumorchester Salzburg • Shai Wosner • Les 7 doigts de la main • Martin Grubinger • Igudesman & Joo • Jeff Mills • Ferenc Snétberger • Myung-Whun Chung • Ula Sickle • Edit Klukon • Wayne Shorter Quartet • Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala • China National Opera • Dezső Ránki • Ferenc Snétberger • Martin Haselböck •

Spring Festivities Igudesman & Joo • Hungarian National Philharmonic • Shai Wosner • Cheikh L • Joey DeFrancesco Trio • Myung-Whun Chung • Wayne Shorter Quartet • Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala • China National Opera • Dezső Ránki • Edit Klukon • Hungarian National Philharmonic • Ula Sickle • Martin Haselböck • Staatskapelle Weimar • King’s Singers • Mozarteumorchester Salzburg • Shai Wosner • Les 7 doigts de la main • Martin Grubinger • Igudesman & Joo • Jeff Mills • Ferenc Snétberger • Myung-Whun Chung • Ula Sickle • Edit Klukon • Wayne Shorter Quartet • Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala • China National Opera • Dezső Ránki • Ferenc Snétberger • Martin Haselböck •

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Published seasonally Responsible Publisher } Teodóra Bán, Manager Publishing Director } Diána Monostori Responsible Editor } Mária Albert Publication Manager } István Práczky Translation } Zoltán Csipke Layout and Coverphoto } István Práczky Photo Management } MitteComm Kft.

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