New cultural district – Művészetek Palotája és környéke

The long awaited new cultural institution of Budapest and Hungary, the Palace of Arts, was opened in 2005. This was one of the most prestigious celebrations of the past hundred years in Hungary’s cultural history, since this conglomeration of cultural buildings has no precedent in 20th century Hungarian architecture. The investment took place in the form of a “Public Private Partnership”, in a co-operation between the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage and Trigránit Development Corporation. The principal contractor, Arcadom Construction Ltd and the planning Zoboki, Demeter and Partners Architectural Office, developed the institution’s programmes and details in collaboration with numerous associate planners and specialist consultants. The creators of this institute, which is unparalleled in Central Europe, were inspired by the concept of creating a new European cultural citadel as part of the new Millennium City Centre of Budapest, close the Danube bank which features on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is an ambitious goal, but everything is present at the Palace of Arts to achieve it: grand spaces, the most modern technology, and above all, a unique concentration of efforts which brings all the branches of art together in a single venue. The National Theatre The construction of the National Theatre, on the basis of plans by architect Mária Siklós, began on 14 September 2000, and, after a construction process of record-breaking speed, was completed in a little over …