Józsefváros, Palotanegyed ("Palace District") - Budapest, Hungary

Location:

GPS coordinates: Latitude 47°29'26", Longitude 19°3'49" (N47 29.43 - E19 3.82) Map

The pediment of the main building of the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Humanities (BTK) with a triangular tympanum, including the "Mineralogy" sculpture group

The building at 4 Múzeum Boulevard was designed by Antal Wéber in 1884, initially it was the Institute of Zoology and Mineralogy, the "Zoology" and "Mineralogy" sculpture groups inside the tympanums still refer to it (sculpted by Leó Fessler in 1895). The palace is today the "A" building of the Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Humanities (ELTE-BTK). The Eötvös Loránd University is the oldest continuously operating university today and the largest one as well, it was founded in 1635.

Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Humanities (BTK)

The Zsolnay-majolica-decorated Italian neo-renaissance style palace was built between 1880-1882, designed by Imre Steindl. This was home of the reorganized technical university (the Royal Joseph Technical University, founded in 1871, legal successor of the Joseph Polytechnic of Buda) until the opening of the Technical University of Budapest ("Műegyetem") building of architect Alajos Hauszmann on the Buda bank of the Danube in 1909.

Hungarian National Museum (in Hungarian "Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum")

The neoclassical style Hungarian National Museum (in Hungarian "Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum") building was designed by Mihály Pollack, it was built between 1837-1847. The museum was founded by Count Ferenc Széchényi. Interestingly the Festetics Palace of Dég almost seems to be the twin building of the National Museum, and not just by accident: the mansion in Dég village was also designed by Mihály Pollack and built between 1810-1815.

The portico (a type of colonnade, opened entry hall with columns) of Hungarian National Museum

The decoration statues in the tympanum on the facade of the National Museum were created by Rafael Monti sculpter from Milan, Italy, based on the ideas of Ludwig Schaller sculptor from Munich, Germany. The seated female figure of Pannonia holds laurel wreaths in her hands, and gives them to two allegorical persons: the figure of the science and art on the right, and the symbolic person of the history and fame on the left. The figures in the corners of the triangle represent the Danube and the Drava rivers.

Memorial of János Arany Hungarian poet and writer

The bronze memorial of the Hungarian poet János Arany was made by Alajos Strobl in 1893. On the pedestal there are characters from the Toldi trilogy, epic poem of János Arany: Piroska Rozgonyi on the left and Miklós Toldi on the right. The pedestal of the statue group was created by Albert Schickedanz, the monument is standing in front of the National Museum.

Memorial of Sándor Kisfaludy Hungarian lyric poet

The so-called "Himfy Lyre" (in Hungarian "Himfy-lant") sculpture was created by Döme Petrovics in memory of the Hungarian writer Sándor Kisfaludy (1772-1844), erected by the "Ladies of Hungary and Transylvania" in 1848. It was placed onto the current red marble pedestal in 1903. Beside the bronze eagle figure there was also the eponymous lyre sculpture, but it was fallen and lost in 1944.

"Himfy" was the pen name (pseudonym) of Sándor Kisfaludy author, the name of the memorial refers to this. This name has been well known shortly and the writer became a public idol. Also he was member of the Kisfaludy Society, a literary society that was founded by an authors' fellowship in 1836 in memory of his younger brother Károly Kisfaludy (1788-1830) dramatist and artist who was died from tuberculosis. Moreover, there is another statue of Sándor Kisfaludy in Balatonfüred town.

Justitia Fountain (also known as the "Fountain of the Hungarian Truth")

The Justitia Fountain is made of bronze and limestone, created by István Szentgyörgyi in 1929 in honor of the British Lord Rothermere.

Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere (1868-1940) was a British newspaper proprietor and politician, as well as among others the supporter of the the Hungarian revisionist aspirations. His aim was to call the world's attention for the situation of Hungary and the Hungarian people after the Treaty of Trianon, moreover he had concrete proposals and detailed plans considering the reannexation of some of the lost territiories. Treaty of Trianon closed the First World War for Hungary, when entered into force in 4 June 1920 the country lost two-thirds of both its area and population, as well as millions of Hungarians found themselves outside of the new borders.

Wenckheim Palace

The neo-baroque (with some neo-renaissance elements) style Wenckheim Palace is now and since 1931 the main building of the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library (in Hungarian "Fővárosi Szabó Ervin Könyvtár"). The palace was built between 1886-1889, architect: Artúr Meinig. The wrought-iron gates of the current grand entrance and the lamp posts were made by Gyula Jungfer in 1897.