World Art Nouveau Day with Domestic and Int'l Programs

For the first time this year, Városi ['City'] Platform is organizing a nationwide festival to mark World Art Nouveau Day, bringing together fully 74 events across Budapest, four regional cities, and Subotica in Serbia. The five-day series of events will run from Wednesday to Sunday.

The festival, which offers a record number of programmes, aims to bring architecture closer to the public and showcase the rich heritage of Art Nouveau not only to professionals but also to the wider audience, organizers told MTI on Monday.

The program includes guided walks, building tours, lectures, exhibitions, discussions, and cultural events. A special feature of this year's festival is that buildings not usually open to the public - or only rarely so - will welcome visitors. One such example is the Dob Street Primary School, a unique relic of Budapest’s Art Nouveau school architecture.

"Every day, we walk past buildings that hold extraordinary stories. World Art Nouveau Day gives us the chance to discover these treasures and connect more deeply with the city we live in," the statement quoted Krisztina Bihar, founder of Városi Platform, as saying.

The festival's events present the world of Art Nouveau from multiple perspectives. In his lecture Art Nouveau as I See It, art historian Péter Fertószögi offers a personal take on the era through objects associated with the period.

At the former Ballet Institute, experts involved in the building's renovation, including designers and restorers, will provide insights into the secrets of its reconstruction. The Puskin Cinema will host a film history walk titled Lechner Ödön and the Youth, while the Academy of Music will offer a concert combined with a building tour to highlight its Art Nouveau features.

The festival is not limited to Budapest: among the regional venues, Szeged will feature a walk titled Szeged's Art Nouveau Wonders - The Legacy of Ede Magyar, revisiting one of the city's most significant architectural periods. From across the border, Subotica (now in Serbia), renowned worldwide for its Art Nouveau heritage, will also participate, organizers noted.

Városi Platform's long-term goal is to foster dialogue between architecture, the city, and its residents, and to present architectural values in an accessible way, shaping our everyday environment, the statement said.