The second iconic building we saw on our last day walk in Butdapaest is the Liget Sanatorium, built on Benczur utca 47 in 1907-1908 by Marcell Komor and Dezso Jakab.
I first discovered the architecture of Marcell Komor and Dezso Jakab in 2009, when I was in Timisoara Romania accompanying Tony on his Fulbright at the University of the West. That spring, I saw their relatively simply but stunning bank in Timisoara, as well as the Cultural Palace and City Hall they built in Targu Mures and the homes and shopping arcade, the Black Eagle, they built in Oradea. Later I saw their beautiful synagogue in Subotica in Serbia, as well as the town hall and other buildings in that city. All of these are on my blog, as are most of their buildings in Budapest.
Komor and Jakab worked first with Odon Lechner before opening their own architectural firm. And you can see how much they absorbed from Lechner. They are perhaps the "sons" who most closely worked in Lechner's tradition. I thought I had seen most of their important buildings but just on this trip I discovered another: atorithe Liget Sanum . This was my last great get, because I was again welcomed inside.
Komor and Jakab worked first with Odon Lechner before opening their own architectural firm. And you can see how much they absorbed from Lechner. They are perhaps the "sons" who most closely worked in Lechner's tradition. I thought I had seen most of their important buildings but just on this trip I discovered another: atorithe Liget Sanum . This was my last great get, because I was again welcomed inside.
The Liget Sanatorium is a kind of luxury hospital retreat--the sort of builing that became more and more popular across Europe at the turn of the century. It is adjacent to City Park, Varosliget, and is where Ady Endre, one of Hungary's most famous poets died. It is thus a monument in several senses.
The entrance to the building is decorated to an extraordinary degree in some of the most beautiful (and expensive) Zsolnay tiles to be seen in the city. Komor and Jakab use Lechner's tradition of lining the edges and filling in spaces with decorations. The details are extraordinary. Also beautiful is the wrought iron staircase with its cascading feathers and peacock feathers. The Liget Sanatorium was the last building we saw on this Budapest visit. It was a fabulous finale.
LigetSanatorium
ArtNouveauInterior
Zsolnay
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