Budapest Architect: Homepage - news and updates

Topics: Introduction * News *  Updates * The logo - an explanation * About this website

Introduction

"Budapest Architect" is a part of the Szia Budapest" websites about Budapest. Because this chapter went to huge on the original website it was better to develop a new website that completely is dedicated to the architectural history of Budapest. The English edition of the website is built and written between January 1 and 10, 2012 and will be further extended. 
 
In first instance "Budapest Architect" will in particular pay attention to the period from about 1890 to 1948 in the architectural history of Budapest. An unprecedented period in terms of the number of buildings erected during these years and a period when the, largely still extant, city view of Budapest in majority was designed by architects of Jewish origin. Also a period during which over 200 architects were active.  (Photo right: Before it is disappeared ... Sgraffito artwork on a building in Budapest from the end of the 19th century)

Many styles were used during this period: Neo-classical styles, Art Nouveau in all its forms, Art Deco, pre-modern, revival of neo styles, Bauhaus, New Objectivity and so on. And these styles are also used as a mixture, so it's difficult to classify several buildings.

"Budapest Architect" is already more extended than many publications on the Internet or in books. This because due to analysis of photographs of buildings, taken during hundreds of hours of walking in the city, it showed that there are many gaps in the architectural history of Budapest. The Jewish influence on the architecture of Budapest is too less described and from numerous architects is little or no information available. Also is from many buildings the architect still not known. "Budapest Architect" already succeeded to attribute several buildings to the name of a famous architect, such as the Löffler brothers.


On this website also a lot of attention on the ornamentation of buildings, both the outside and inside: statues, reliefs, sgraffiti and much more. In particular these ornamentations determines the value of a building, although there are also buildings from which the design already is of a high quality, such as the building designed by the Löffler brothers at the VII. Izabella utca 34.

This website also will put architects in the spotlight which in many publications barely or not are mentioned. A key example is the architect Frigyes Spiegel. Although Ödön Lechner is invariably cited as the leading figure in the emergence of Art Nouveau in Budapest, was at the same time  Frigyes Spiegel active as an architect. He used the more Viennese / Western form of Art Nouveau. In the period 1895-1900 he designed, together with Fülöp Weinréb, at least 35 buildings in Budapest. And the majority has more or less Art Nouveau onamentations. The later famous architect Béla Löffler worked in those days at the office of this architect. The work of Frigyes Spiegel is, for example, not discribed in the further excellent book "Jewish influences on contemporary architecture".

News

This section of the Homepage of "Budapest Architect" provides architectural news / events in Budapest.
* March 29 - April 1, 2012: Budapesti Építészeti Filmnapok - Budapest Architectural Fim Festival. More about his festival: here (At this moment only in Dutch)
* April 14 and 15, 2012: Budapest100 - Kind of Heritage Days during which numerous buildings can be viewed (also at the inside) built in 1912

Updates

2013... 1 year of the English website and after a while of (forced) rest, again busy with the website!
* January 9:  extension of the number of pages of Architects around 1900 to 65. Added are e.g. pages about the architects Emil Bauer, Henrik Böhm, Fülöp Weinréb and Artur Sebestyén. Beside some updates.Currently working on 5 new pages;
* January 12: updates and extension of the pages about the architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl
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* June 2: New chapter added "Save this cultural heritage", new page added about the Griesz mausoleum and several updates about "Budapest Architects around 1900";
* April 9: Updated and extended pages about Béla and Sándor Löffler, Gyula Sándy and Rchard Schöntheil in the chapter "Budapest Architects around 1900";
* March 3: Page added about an Art Nouveau villa in a suburb of Budapest, Overview page Miscellaneous pages updated and menu changed;
* February 22: Update and revision of the page about Frigyes Spiegel  in the chapter "Budapest Architects around 1900";
* February 16: Updates of the pages about Gyula Fodor, József Porgesz and Gyula Sándy in the chapter "Budapest Architects around 1900"
* January 26: Page added on the Art Nouveau mosaic triptych by A. Dudits
* January 19:  Fixing last faults, removing architecture pages from the Szia Budapest website;
* January 16:  Testing the last pages, fixed some faults;
* January 14: Updates of the pages about Arthur Mellinger, Sámuel Révész, Emil Vidor, Kornel Neuschloss, Frigyes Spiegel and the page "Budapest Architects around 1900 - Overview";
* January 13: 98% of the pages  is online and tested. Chapter "Websites"is not working and 5 pages are still not online; 
* January 12: Almost all pages are online, testing of links;
* January 11: updated pages about the Löffler brothers, Gyula Fodor and József Vágó;
* January 8: 95% of the pages are online. Index page is updated;
* January 5: 90-95% of the pages are online, espescially pages about architects around 1900 are missing. Site not yet  tested on not working links or missing pictures. Index page still must be changed in an full English version;
* January 1: First pages "Budapest Architect" are online.

The logo - an explanation

The logo of this website is a part of a large reliëf on the facade of the former telephone office in Pest on the VIII. Horváth Mihály tér and designed by Józse Damko. In every aspect a striking building. It was designed by architect Ray Reszö, built between 1910 and 1912 and has a total area of 17,000 m2. In particularly special is that for the construction of the building reinforced concrete was used, a technique which was not common in these years and  Ray Reszö was one of the few architects who have made ​​use of. The building has a lot of ornaments, both at the frontside as on the side: statues, reliëfs and also on the roof are beautiful statues to find. Downright cute are the statues on the side of the building showing children who are making telephone calls. Nearly all these ornamentations were made by the sculptor József Damkó.

The logo of this website is part of one of the ornamentations on the building and shows the modern age, where from the hills of Buda be called to Pest, this to celebrate the laying of a telephone cable into the Danube. The bird and the mythological figure express the speed. Below a photograph of the complete reliëf, unfortunately prevents a lamppost a good photo. In addition, the relief contains numerous details that only can be observed up when looking to it from a close distance.

About this website

"Szia Budapest" is the umbrella website that Julius founded at the end of 2009 to express his enthusiasm for the architecture, art and culture of Budapest and convey it to others. Gradually 2 parts of the website were growing that much that they better could get separate websites. The first one was "Budapest Graffiti" about the Graffiti Art of Budapest which was launched in August 2011 and "Budapest Architect" which was launched at the end of 2011. Both "Szia Budapest" and "Budapest Architect" are in English and Dutch. By clicking on the flag above on the right side of each page, you can swith between the English and Dutch websites. "Budapest Graffiti" is only in the English language.


"Budapest Architect" strives to become the most important reference website about the architecture of Budapest between 1890 and 1948. In addition, the modern architecture will not be forgotten, even here regularly will be payed attention to it. The website is under construction, but Rome was not built in a day, so if your are missing subjects ..... be patient and otherwise ask your question via the Mailform.


(Last modification: January 12, 2013)