Palace District Hidden Courtyards

The Petofi Museum of Literature occupies the Karolyi Palace, a butter-yellow building with a grand wrought-iron balcony overlooking the courtyard. This mansion was once the home of Count Mihaly Karolyi, who served as Hungary's first…

The Könyvtár Klub sits behind a heavy iron gate within the courtyard of the Eötvös Loránd University main building. It features a sprawling, shaded garden floor that fills with students between lectures. During the nineteen eighties, this…

The Festetics Palace on Pollack Mihály Square carries a pale yellow facade decorated with white Corinthian columns. Count György Festetics commissioned this home in eighteen sixty-two, wanting a residence that matched his family’s…

The green tiled roof of Arquitecto Pitpit sits in the middle of the block, punctuated by large, mismatched wooden shutters that look like they belong on a mountain cottage. This is a tapas bar and coffee house where the owner, a man who…

The Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library occupies the Wenckheim Palace, identifiable by its ornate, neo-baroque facade and the grand wrought-iron gates facing the street. Count Frigyes Wenckheim commissioned the palace in eighteen eighty-nine,…

The main building of Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest features a striking facade of weathered stone and ornate, neo-baroque window frames. Established by Cardinal Péter Pázmány in sixteen thirty-five, the institution began in…

The Lumen Café sits behind a glass facade framed by bold, yellow window trim that stands out against the surrounding stone buildings. It began as a photography gallery in a different part of the city before moving here to become a hub for…