Danube Palace
| Duna Palota | |
 | |
| Address |
1051, Zrinyi Street 5. Budapest Hungary |
|---|---|
| Owner | Hungarian State |
| Capacity | 294 |
| Production | cultural events |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Architect | Vilmos Freund |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Danube Palace (Hungarian: Duna Palota) is a Neo-Baroque concert hall located at the Inner City of Budapest, Hungary.
History
The Danube Palace is a frothy Neo-Baroque concert hall completed in 1885 as part of Budapest’s massive expansion for the millennium celebrations. Hungary was a thousand years old in 1896 and the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I was determined to create a prestigious city that reflected its ancient standing.
It was built between 1894 and 1897, according to the plans of Vilmos Freund, in co-operation with the contractor Géza Márkus.
Originally, it was a casino, but not the official meaning of gambling, rather a place for entertainment. The Danube Palace was the home of many theatrical performances, the same way as nowadays. The beautiful halls and rooms of the building provide an excellent opportunity for several events.
The building took its current shape in 1941. Between 1895 and the II. World War, the Danube Palace was open for the public with various events. During the war it was completely empty, because that part of the Danube was also the front line between the occupying Soviets on the Pest side, and the Germans on the Buda side.
After the end of the II. World War in 1945, the German military blew up all the bridges which connecting the two sides of the Hungarian capital. That is why, we can see a few modern buildings in the area of the Danube palace, for example the building of the Sofitel hotel and of the Intercontinental Hotel.
Above the restaurant
The Danube Palace belonged to the Ministry of Interior after the war, that was responsible for the law and order of the country. From 1945 until 1989, the police played an important role in everyday social life. The building was closed from the public, only police officers and the members of the Ministry of Interior could apply for membership. The new government acted for innovation and for new values and also used the Danube Palace as a cultural center for the powerful and influential members of the time.
Several changes were made in the interior after the World War II. The balcony, the ceiling and the staircase were rebuilt out of oak. The glass have remained entirely intact. They were created by Miksa Roth and are titled Kenyérünnep (Feast of the new bread). At the center of the glass, there is a woman, who holds a fresh baked loaf of bread made from freshly reaped grains. In the upper left corner, there is a Hungarian soldier holding a flag and next to him there are two working women with a red flag, which reminiscent of the Soviet times. The Palace has several lovely and elegant salons, each perfect for filming, such as the Brown Salon.
The Brown Room
The Brown Salon – that once served as a smoking room –, is now a conference hall. The flower-ornamented, brown ceiling was an appropriate setting for filming. For example, one scene of the Evita was filmed there, which main character was Madonna, the well-known pop diva. In the film, this was her bedroom, where she broke up with her lover, Juan. Madonna was not the only famous person who showed up the halls of the Danube Palace. The first president of the Casino of Lipótváros was Miksa Falk, the grandfather of Peter Falk, better known as Columbo. At that time, the Casino supported young artists, for example Béla Bartók who performed his opera there, called Bluebeard's Castle. The production was deemed unfit for the stage however nowaday it is the composer's most popular piece. Along with Bartók, other artists such as Zoltán Kodály and Antonín Dvořák were performed in the theater hall.
The Theater Hall
The theater hall is very interesting because of two reasons. At first, this is the only theater in Hungary with a cupola. The second reason is its cooling system that can also found in the Hungarian Parliament Building aside from the Danube Palace. Its functions are quite simply: the aipressure from the basement moves the cool air which flowing into the concert hall with the help of pipes. Of course, there is a modern aircondition system in the building as well, but unless the temperature rises around 40 degrees, they use the old one.
The cupola paintings are the work of Lajos Márk, and the gold ornaments are reminiscent of baroque churches. There is a harp above the stage, which is a replacment of the Soviet coat of arms.
After the fall of socialism the building remained in the hands of the Ministry of Interior, but was once again open to the public for receptions, exhibitions and weddings.
References
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