Terézváros, Andrássy Avenue, "the aristocrat of the roads" - Budapest, Hungary

Location:

GPS coordinates: Latitude 47°30'13", Longitude 19°3'40" (N47 30.22 - E19 3.67) Map

Krausz Palace

Today the eclectic and neorenaissance style Krausz Palace on the Andrássy Avenue is an office building and listed monument, although originally it was designed as a residental building by the architect Zsigmond Quittner in 1884. On the walls of the entrance hall downstairs there are murals of Károly Lotz, as well as valuable sculptures can be seen inside and outside, too (artworks of Gyula Donáth, József Róna and Ignác Oppenheimer sculptors). The site was owned by the Krausz family until 1920, then it was acquired by the Commercial Association of Budapest (in other words "Board of Trade", in Hungarian "Budapesti Kereskedelmi Testület").

The octogonal junction of the Andrássy Avenue and the Grand Boulevard

Until 1872 there was just a big pit or ditch on the site of the Oktogon Square in Budapest. Then the future Andrássy Road or Avenue began to be built based on the French model (at this time it was called "Sugárút", which means simply "Avenue"). The square was built in an octagonal shape and until 1920 it was called "Nyolcszög tér", which means "Octagonal Square". The four similar eclectic style building that surrounds and also determines the Oktogon Square were designed by Antal Szkalnitzky and built between 1877-1879, immediately after the Andrássy Avenue was inaugurated in 1877.

Bronze statue of Miklós Zrínyi

Created by József Róna in 1902

Until the end of the World War II there were four statues of historical figures in the circus or square that is called "Kodály körönd", just like today. But from them only the statue of Miklós Zrínyi stands on its original place. The bronze statues of István Bocskai Hungarian nobleman and Prince of Transylvania, as well as Gábor Bethlen King of Hungary and also Prince of Transylvania were moved to the Heroes' Square ("Hősök tere"), which also belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage site. Since 1945 they were placed inside the colonnade of the Millennium Monument, from where the statues of the Habsburg kings and emperors were removed. In addition to them a statue of Palatine János Pálffy Hungarian noble and Imperial Field marshal stood in the Kodály körönd (at that time just "Körönd", which means "Circus"), right until 1955.

Two-story yellow villa building, former vacation property

The multi-storeyed mansion at 119 Andrássy Avenue was built in 1883 originally as a holiday home for Béla Steiner, designed by architect Gyula Bukovai. In 1895 Gyula Illés, then in 1924 Dezső Meller architects dis some modifications on the building. After the Second World War and the march-in of the Soviet-Russian troops, from 1946 the building was used as the Upper Danubian Soviet-Russian Shipping Command headquarters, then from 1958 rental apartments were created within it by the National Savings Bank ("Országos Takarékpénztár" or OTP).