Sonnenberg House – Hungarian Art Nouveau

You might have noticed already how much I’m fascinated by the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. I love the design, the colours, the shapes and the fantastic symbolism, the stories the buildings and objects tell us. We were fortunate enough to discover this beautiful little gem of Art Nouveau in the 6th district of Budapest with my travellers who were looking for their family roots in Budapest earlier this year.

The house is from 1904, designed by the Hungarian architect genius Albert Kálmán Kőrössy for the Sonnenberg family. Like many other buildings from the same period of time this building was also in a very bad shape by the end of the 20th century. Some of the residents decided to restore it to its original beauty, and they have been doing an amazing job. It is a very long and expensive process, some of the stained glass windows were already restored, and they are just exquisite. I cannot wait to see the rest of the project.

Join me for an Art Nouveau walk to find out more about this super exciting time period and the symbolism of Hungarian Art Nouveau. Also, you’ll find more details about the Sonnenberg house and the restoration process here.

Festival of Folk Arts – 2023

Every year, at the end of August some of the great Hungarian folk artists have a special opportunity to put on display their talent and products: the folk art festival in the Buda Castle district. Visitors can watch and also participate in activities, such as sewing, lace or embroidery making, wood carving and many more. It’s a great occasion to meet local craftsmen and craftswomen, observe their techniques and tricks and also to buy local folk products. I loved the little old ladies teaching me sewing, trust me, they are very patient with visitors much less talented and experienced than they are.