Szabadság tér
Budapest
Szabadság tér is a large tree-lined square in the Lipótváros district. Around 1900 two palaces of matching size rose on its sides. One is the Bank, now the Hungarian National Bank, the other the Stock Exchange Palace.
From barracks to square
For much of the 1800s the Neugebäude, the 'New Building', stood here: a huge square-shaped barracks. At the end of the century it was pulled down and the square was born in its place.
Banks, offices and elegant buildings arrived all around. The Lipótváros district became the business centre of the city.
What to look at from outside
On one side stands the palace of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, now the Hungarian National Bank. It was built between 1902 and 1905 to a design by Ignác Alpár. Stone reliefs run along the first floor. They show how metals are melted, how miners work and how banknotes are printed.
Opposite stands the Stock Exchange Palace, by the same architect. It has tall stone columns and a grand entrance. It is 145 metres long: it was the biggest stock exchange building in Europe.
One architect, two palaces
Alpár won two competitions, one after the other. For the Stock Exchange, 33 designs were sent in. For the Bank, the jury gave him first prize unanimously.
The finest craftsmen of the time helped him. The stained-glass windows of the Bank are by Miksa Róth, a great master of coloured glass.
