Budapest can surely be called one of the museum capitals of Europe. In this beautiful city, more than two hundred such institutions are open, so tourists visiting Budapest will always find something new for themselves. All museums in Budapest can be conditionally divided into “compulsory” for visiting and thematic. In our article we will talk about the most popular and most interesting places in the capital.
Art Museum
The Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) is widely known throughout the world. And the reason for this is the amazing collection of Spanish art, which is considered the second largest outside of Spain itself. The museum is located on Heroes Square. The building was built in the neoclassical style. Visitors to the institution can see all kinds of works of art from ancient times to the present.
The museum has an ancient Egyptian collection, which is considered one of the richest in all of Europe, as well as a collection of antique works, sections of sculpture and graphics.
The museum was founded in 1896, but he began to receive visitors only ten years later. Its exposition consists of six sections:
- The ancient Egyptian branch was created on the basis of personal works of the Hungarian Egyptologist Eduard Mahler.
- But the collection of the famous Munich Paul Arndt entered the exposition of ancient art.
- The department of ancient sculpture collected samples of wooden sculptures from Germany and Austria. The attention of tourists is invariably attracted by a sculpture of bronze (sixteenth century), made according to the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci.
- In the graphic and engraving department, one can admire Leonardo’s two sketches for “The Battle of Angyari,” 15 drawings by Rembrandt and 200 works by Goya.
- There is a gallery of new masters in the museum, which presents the work of romantics and impressionists such as Cezanne, Manet, Monet, Rodin, Delacroix.
- But the department of ancient masters is strongly the works of a unique portrait genre. The basis of the collection is seven hundred paintings by old artists from the personal collection of the Princes Esterhazy. At the time of the creation of the museum, paintings from the estates of the Count's family Zichi and from the Buddhist castle were still attached to these works. Of particular interest are the unique works of the very mysterious Master M. from the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Among the exhibits in this section, the genre work “Chess Players” written by the Dutch artist Cornelis da Mans is unusual. The canvas was acquired by the museum in 1871.
The most famous artists and their works of the museum
Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) provides an opportunity for all visitors to plunge into the beautiful world of art from different eras. The institution’s exposition includes paintings by Titian, Raphael, Giorgione, several famous works by Bronzino, as well as Peter Bruegel's “Sermon of John the Baptist”, paintings by Lucas Cranach and Hans Holbein. Of great interest is the collection of unique Spanish masters Goya, Murillo, Zurbaran, Velazquez and El Greco. The museum exhibits quite diverse art after 1800.
There are works by the famous French school from post-impressionism to romanticism, there are also canvases of German symbolism, twentieth-century modernism and works that reflect the main trends in art from the middle of the last century. Among the most interesting works, it is worth recalling the picture of Eugene Delacroix “The Moroccan, Riding a Horse”, Camille Corot's “Memories of Kubron”, Mans “The Lady with a Fan”, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec “In the Dining Room of the Brothel”, Arnold Becklin “Kiss of the Sphinx” and “ Spring evening. " Museum of Art (Budapest) - this is a place that is worth a visit in the capital of Hungary.
Ethnographical museum
Considering the most popular and famous museums of Budapest, it is worth recommending tourists to visit the ethnographic museum. It exhibits wonderful exhibits that help to better understand the culture and life of Hungarians. The Ethnographic Museum (Budapest) has been located in the Palace of Justice since 1973. Its exposition is dedicated to the culture of the Hungarian people, as well as other communities. It is one of the largest such institutions in Europe. The museums of Budapest have the richest expositions, but it’s in the ethnographic that allows you to know the life and culture of people for the entire period of human existence. Museum exhibits cover time periods from the primitive society to the present. The entire exposition of the institution is divided into topics: fishing, beekeeping, hunting, shepherd labor, animal husbandry, customs, agriculture, musical instruments and games.
Museum exhibits
The Ethnographic Museum is perhaps the most unusual of all museums in Budapest. Its exposition totals more than 200 exhibits. The museum collection includes household items, art, a collection of jewelry, clothes, photographs from different eras. Its halls are more like apartments of old Hungarian houses.
All kinds of objects are collected here: from embroidered curtains and shirts to chests, wooden furniture and musical instruments. The museum is in a state of constant development, currently 247 buildings can be viewed on its territory, but in the near future it is planned to increase their number to 400.
Features of the Ethnographic Museum
The complex is interesting in that on its territory you can not only see the buildings of past years, but also plunge into the atmosphere of those times, see the traditional way of Hungarian villages. You can go into each house, look at antique dishes and furniture, and you can also visit farm buildings: cellars, stables, sheds. There are even real vineyards and vegetable gardens, as well as all kinds of pets.
A variety of workshops in the museum will allow you to learn how in the old days they made soap, made clay dishes, or were engaged in winemaking. But in the buildings of village schools you can see student supplies and furniture.
Features of the Ethnographic Museum
Not all museums in Budapest are as interesting for visitors as ethnographic. Skansen is not just an institution with strict rules, where you can not touch the exhibits. In fact, this is a real village, at the entrance to each house you will certainly be met by a guide who shows and tells everything. The museum even hosts all kinds of holidays with national traditions.
Skansen covers a total of about 60 hectares. It is simply impossible to walk around the museum on foot in a day, so there is a special railway that runs a train built back in 1932. The route consists of six stops. The journey takes about twenty minutes. Visitors pay for a ticket that is valid for the whole day. By rail you can ride as much as you need. The museum is so impressive to all guests that they certainly recommend that all tourists visit it.
Marzipan Museum in Budapest: Description
What is marzipan? This is an almond confectionery with sugar. It is not known exactly where this delicacy was invented, but it is sure that Hungary loves this sweetness, that's for sure. The Marzipan Museum in Budapest is perhaps the most unusual. This confectionery product is so loved by people that there are five such establishments throughout the country.
All exhibits in the museum are made of marzipan. Here are paintings from this sweet, figurines, copies of famous paintings, bas-reliefs, consisting of the smallest details. These are real works of art. The museum operates in a cafe where you can try and buy all kinds of products from marzipan. An excursion to such an unusual place will appeal to all the sweet tooth from small to large.
Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest)
Budapest, as the capital of Hungary, certainly has a rich historical and cultural heritage, which is stored in numerous museums. One of them is a museum of applied art. It was opened in 1896 (that year the country celebrated the millennium). The institution has a huge number of exhibits that are able to tell about many interesting facts from the history and culture of Hungary. It has several permanent exhibits; in addition, temporary thematic exhibitions are regularly organized in the museum. Each of its exhibits has a great historical and cultural value. One of the most interesting exhibits of the institution can be considered the Oriental Art Hall, where you can see a unique collection of unique luxurious oriental tapestries and carpets.
Exhibits Museum of Applied Art
The exposition of decorative and applied European art is also noteworthy. Here you can see stunning samples of textiles, furniture, amazing glass and ceramic products. The museum has exhibits such as family treasures and cutlery of the Esterhazy family, musical and jewelry, most of which date back to the fourteenth century.
However, it is fair to say that the museum’s rich collection is far from all its pride. His building from a cultural and historical point of view has no less value. It is amazingly beautiful and made in the Art Nouveau style. Architects at one time made a lot of efforts to turn it into a unique architectural masterpiece. A stunning green mosaic roof, elements of Hungarian ceramics, Hindu and Islamic motifs make the building incredibly beautiful and stand out from other buildings of the capital.
National Museum of Budapest
The National Museum in Budapest is another interesting place in the capital, which is definitely worth a visit. It was founded in 1802 and housed in a building designed by M. Pollack. The main part of the exposition is a collection of coins, manuscripts and books by Count Ferenc Secheni. The museum’s exhibits are dedicated to the art and history of Hungary, and the museum’s collection covers a fairly large period: from the moment the state was formed until the nineties of the last century. The music collection includes the harp of Marie Antoinette, Baritone Esterhazy, Liszt and Beethoven pianos, Mozart's clavichord, but the portrait gallery contains portraits of the kings of the Arpad dynasty. In the museum you can see a collection of stones of the Roman period and many other archaeological finds. But the era of the Turkish invasion of the country is represented by objects of medieval life, jewelry, a collection of weapons. A separate museum room is dedicated to the royal mantle, in which the king of Hungary, King Istvan , was crowned. It is sewn of Byzantine silk and decorated with gold embroidery and pearls. The king donated this mantle to the church in 1031.
The Hungarian National Museum in Budapest currently has more than a million of various exhibits in its stores, among which you can see many amazing things.
Instead of an afterword
Hungary is a stunning country with a rich interesting history. Budapest has a large number of museums, many of which are worthy of close attention from tourists. If you are planning a trip to the Hungarian capital, then certainly take the time to visit at least one or two of them. This will help to plunge into the history of the country, its customs and mores in more detail.