Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Óbuda
After its incorporation within the city,
Óbuda
became a popular place to eat, drink and make
merry, with garden restaurants and taverns serving fish and wine from the locality. Some
of the most famous establishments still exist around
Fő tér
, the heart of eighteenth-century
Óbuda, with its ornate Trinity Column; see
Restaurants
for our pick of Óbuda's eating places.
Vasarely Museum
Vasarely Múzeum • III, Szentlélek tér 6 • Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm • 800Ft • 1 378 7551,
vasarely.hu
The
Vasarely Museum
displays eyeball-throbbing Op Art works by Viktor Vasarely
(1906-97), the founder of the genre, who was born in Pécs in southern Hungary, emigrated
to Paris in 1930 and spent the rest of his life in France. Arguably, his most productive period
was the 1950s and 60s, with his groundbreaking Black and White paintings, many of which
are on display here (
Vega
and
Tau-Ceti
to name but two). You can also get a sense of his
artistic development from earlier works, particularly as a graphic artist, when he gained nu-
merous commissions from various publishing houses for advertising graphics.
Óbuda Museum
Óbudai Múzeum • III, Szentlélek tér 1 • Tues-Sun 10am-6pm • Entry 800Ft, information booklet 800Ft • 1
250 1020,
obudaimuzeum.hu
Round the corner from the Vasarely Museum, the excellent little
Óbuda Museum
charts
Óbuda's development through the ages. Particular emphasis is given to the city's growth in
the seventeenth century, which was inextricably linked to the Zichy dynasty, whose domain
stretched from Óbuda all the way up to Szentendre. In the nineteenth century, as well as the
local shipyard and porcelain factory, there were as many as three brickworks here; don't miss
the wonderful display of brick stamps. Look out, too, for the twelfth-century Kalosca stone,
depicting anangel alongside abearded man-afineexample ofRomanesque art.Reconstruc-
ted shops and kitchens - including a pre-electric fridge - from the early twentieth century, as
well as a living room from the 1950s, complete this terrific little romp. The only information
in English is a useful booklet at the ticket desk.
Kassák Museum
Kassák Múzeum • III, Fő tér 1 • Wed-Sun 10am-5pm • 600Ft • 1 368 7021,
kassakmuzeum.hu
On Fő tér itself, the run-down Baroque Zichy mansion contains the small but fascinating
KassákMuseum
.Locatedupstairsonthefarsideofthecourtyard,thecollectionisdedicated
to the Hungarian Constructivist
Lajos Kassák
(1887-1967) and features his paintings,
magazine designs, publications and possessions. A self-taught artist and publisher who de-
voted much of his younger life to the Socialist cause (publishing work by Cocteau and Le
Corbusier), Kassák's avant-garde style fell foul of regimes on both the left and right. In a se-
lective form of censorship typical of the post-1956 Communist years, he was recognized as a
writer but was pretty much banned from exhibiting his art from 1948.
