Zádor Anna: Neoclassical Pest - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)

R. Alt-Fr. X. Sandmann: The building of the Vigadó i845 (detail)

Firstly, the German Theatre was erected on the site of what is today 1 Vörösmarty tér. Originally, it was János Hild who was responsible for the plans of the theatre and the adjacent Vigadó (Municipal Concert Hall), but for various reasons these plans were never realized. In 1806 the Viceroy commissioned the court architect, Johann von Aman, to prepare the plans for the double building. Shortly after work on the foundation had started, the construction of the Vigadó was abandoned due to lack of funds, and all efforts were focussed on the theatre. It was Mihály Pollack who directed the construction from the outset, since Aman-probably tied down by his obligations in Vien- na-was unable to undertake this task. The relationship between the two architects was not without friction. The plans that have survived until today are incomplete, so it is difficult to determine the part played by each architect in the whole process.

The German Theatre used to be an enclosed and massive building. Apart from the colonnaded ramp, two

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