This is an entry from the KÉK Urban Walks archive, therefore information on this page may be out of date. For up-to-date information, return to the main page.
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First historical city walk for the request of University of Fine Arts
KÉK organized two city walks presenting the historical Budapest in World War I. Considering there were no significant constructions during the war, we focused more on the processes of the prior age, and the consequences following.
We started with a presentation about the main urban interventions of the turn of the century, giving place for the new architectural tendencies.
During the walk we visited the Hotel Astoria, which was built in 1914, and later became a very important hub of the political life, as the National Council chaired here in 1918. Astoria was the place where the most important political decisions were made after the war, such as the announcement of republic, and the universal suffrage.
Later we visited some examples of the different directions of architectural trends of the age, like the Parisian Court, Rózsavölgyi-house, and Török Bank House.
We ended our tour in Café Centrál, where foreigner guests were introduced to the literature-life of the cafés, and we also discussed how they reacted on the break out of the war.
The tour was guided by Bálint Tóth.
/photos by: Kriszti Bárdossy/
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