Municipal Theater
Building, structure
The current eclectic building of the theatre was built between 1885 and 1886 based on the plans of architects Nándor Fellner and Henrik Helm. ; The theatre was opened as the City Theatre on 22 September 1886 with a ceremonial performance by the Governor of Budapest. The entire Hungarian government, including Prime Minister Kálmán Tisza, attended the opening. Mór Jókai was also present at the ceremony (he wrote a "prologue" for the occasion entitled Lidércfény), and Ferenc Erkel personally conducted the performance of the Royal Hungarian Opera. Of the busts visible on the facade, that of József Katona commemorates this event, while the other busts are of Liszt, Mozart (previously replaced by a statue of Kölcsey), Goethe, and Shakespeare. The building is currently the seat of the opera and ballet.