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

statues of muses placed in niches on the sides decorated the facade. In spite of its grand opening in 1812 (the overture from Beethoven’s King Stephen was played at the ceremony), it was soon strongly criticized for its unfavourable acoustics and strong draught, not to mention its aesthetic inadequacies. All this was supposedly caused by Aman’s absence. However, it may also have been the result of rigid adherence to Aman’s original plan. Having said this, he was still a prominent architect, to whom the design of the most beautiful palace of the period, the former Sándor (Alexander) Palace in Buda, is attributed.

Soon the construction of the Vigadó became the order of the day again. It was also Aman’s design which served as the starting point, and Pollack was commissioned to propose modifications if necessary. It is no surprise that this led to further conflicts, and a long time passed before 1829, when a final decision was made to accept Pollack’s new and original plan. The facade

An aerial photo of the National Museum

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