Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library

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, hiring architect Arthur Meinig to build a residence that could host elaborate social gatherings. During the Soviet era, the building transitioned into a public library. In two thousand one, architects expanded the site by connecting the palace to a modern wing, preserving the gilded ballrooms alongside rows of study desks.