Exterior view

The Hungarian State Opera House is a Neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest. It was designed by Mikl�s Ybl, a major figure of 19th-century Hungarian architecture. Construction began in 1875, funded by the city of Budapest and by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, and the new house opened to the public on the 27 September 1884.

A major renovation took place between 1980 and 1984. The reopening was held exactly 100 years after the original opening, on the 27 September 1984.

It is a richly-decorated building and is considered one of the architect’s masterpieces. It was built in Neo-Renaissance style, with elements of Baroque. Ornamentation includes paintings and sculptures by leading figures of Hungarian art including Bertalan Sz�kely, M�r Than and K�roly Lotz. In the quality of acoustics the Budapest Opera House is considered to be amongst the finest opera houses in the world.

The auditorium holds 1,261 people. It is horseshoe shaped and - according to measurements done in the 1970s by a group of international engineers - has the third best acoustics in Europe after La Scala in Milan and the Palais Garnier in Paris.

The decoration of the symmetrical fa�ade follows a musical theme. In niches on either side of the main entrance there are figures of two of Hungary’s most prominent composers, Ferenc Erkel and Franz Liszt. Both were sculpted by Alajos Str�bl.

The foyer has marble columns. The vaulted ceiling is covered in murals by Bertalan Sz�kely and M�r Than. They depict the nine Muses.

The main hall is decorated with a bronze chandelier weighing 3050 kg. It illuminates a fresco by K�roly Lotz, depicting the Greek gods on Olympus. The royal box is located centrally in the three-storey circle. It is decorated with sculptures symbolizing the four operatic voices - soprano, alto, tenor and bass.