Odon Lechner and Art Nouveau in Budapest

I got a feedback from my lecturer today as regards an article I wrote about a Hungarian Architect Ödön Lechner. He was one of the pioneer of Hungarian and central European Art Nouveau. If you ever visit Budapest - a city I have come to love - I recommend you go and see his works. Actually, we were asked to write about things to see in Budapest, kinda a guide for tourists. We are also creating a website for it and I will give you the link when we are done! Seriously, you really have to check it out - I mean the website - especially if you are planning to visit Budapest or Hungary. It is new and every information is current - unlike most tourist websites that has stale informations.

Let me give you a hint why you should visit the website. Pecs, a city in Hungary is one of the European Capital of Culture, 2010. I wrote an article about it! And so many other current information about Budapest and Hungary. This website is unique and exclusive because it is created by Student from different countries who lives in Budapest. So you will see Budapest not only from a Hungarian or EU eye, but also from an American, British, Chinese, Venezuelan, Nigerian and Indian eye. Interesting right?

Below is a summary of the article, hope you enjoy reading it!

Thanks

Kc

Ps... the Picture is The Museum of Applied Art Budapest - one of Lechner works. Got it from Wikimedia Pictures.

Lechner’s place in Budapest Art Nouveau.

If you are living in or visiting Budapest, you probably may not have heard this name ‘Ödön Lechner’ but I doubt if you have not noticed the striking Museum of Applied Art building standing at the corner between Ullői ut and József körút or the more subtle National Savings Treasury at Hold utca. These art nouveau buildings – which characterized Budapest architecture in the late 19^th and early 20^th century was lead by the Hungarian architect, Lechner. From the Museum of Applied Art Budapest and the National Savings Treasury, to Saint Ladislaus Church, Kőbánya, the Geological Museum, and the Hungarian Railway Pensioners Building, all in Budapest, the diversity of the application of his style in the Art Nouveau elements can be felt.

The one striking feature that Lechner’s buildings have in common is the glossy ornamental ceramics that decked their roof. It is called the Zsolnay tile patterns. Inspired by old Hungarian and Turkic folk art, it is a mixture of the ancient eastern Islamic and traditional Hungarian architectural elements, with that of the modern materials – such as Iron – used during his time. This is the Art Nouveau of Budapest as a city and Hungary in general.

The green ornamented, porcelain like roof tiles with the contrasting yellow – or should I say golden – neo-gothic spires gives you a strange (or even an eerie) feeling of not knowing if you are in an European city or one of the Persian cities. Although they have something in common, each building is different based on the idea of its conception and function. The extravagantly ornamented Museum of Applied Art gives way to an average roofed Saint Ladislaus church – if talking about extravagantly roofed church in Budapest, the Matthias Church says it all – to the endearing blue roofed Geological Museum at the Stefánia utca in the western part of Pest.

Based on the significant, the roof of the National Savings Treasury tells you the story behind the structure and its function – if you can decipher that without the help of a guide – which could be summarized to be the yellow color for the bees making honey (read in between the lines). Lechner married these style and ideas in architecture and got many adherents as well as critics, but one thing stand strong; it is unique and it is exclusively Hungarian.