Built in a neo-Renaissance style, this is the most beautiful building of this style on Andrassy út. The architect was Miklós Ybl, the most successful and prolific architect of his time. He created what many agree is one of the most beautiful opera houses in Europe. It was completed in 1884. It is Budapest's and Hungary's most celebrated performance hall; the Opera House boasts a fantastically ornate interior featuring frescoes by two of the best-known Hungarian artists of the day, Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. Both inside and outside are dozens of statues of such greats as Beethoven, Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, and Monteverdi. In corner niches you will find the muses Terpsichore, Erato, Thalia, and Melpomene representing dance, love poetry, comedy, and tragedy. Home to the State Opera and the State Ballet, the Opera House has a rich and evocative history, which is related on the guided tours given daily at 3pm and 4pm (these can be arranged in English). Well-known directors of the Opera House include Gustav Mahler and Ferenc Erkel, the composer of the Hungarian national anthem. You may enter the lobby without charge, but the only way to tour the interior is with the guided tour.
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