Budapest - State Opera Allami Operaház

Miklós Ybl drew up the plans for the prestigious Hungarian State Opera (Allami Operaház), which was built between 1875 and 1884 in Neo-Renaissance style. It was renovated a few years ago at considerable expense.

The interior boasts a magnificent foyer with a double marble staircase. The auditorium possesses unusually good acoustics. The ceiling frescos by Károly Lotz and the wall-paintings by Mór Than are masterpieces of their kind.

The statues of Franz Liszt and Ferenc Erkel, the first Director of the Opera, are by Alajos Stróbl.

Nagymezo utca crosses Andrássy út near the State Opera, and for a long time has been known as the "Pest Broadway". Its reputation is due not only to the various night-clubs, such as the Moulin Rouge, but also to the number of theaters in this street, such as the Municipal Operetta Theatre and the Thália Theatre.