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Entering this location was already an adventure and very risky.
However, at dawn we succeeded and were rewarded with fantastic images.
The last time anyone walked around the big empty Stock Exchange Palace on Szabadság tér was in 2049, and Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling were filming for the Blade Runner sequel. However, the last year this abandoned landmark was used was 2009, when the Hungarian State Television (MTV) was just moving out.
At the time of its construction, this square was still largely on the outskirts of the city, but that changed quickly around the turn of the century. Budapest grew more and more and the military complex standing here was removed. The building was not only in a state of disrepair but also harbored a bitter past.
Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány was executed here by the Austrians in 1849 and many Hungarian soldiers were imprisoned there. Naturally, the residents claimed the place. Its demolition had been called for since the 1870s. In 1898 it was demolished and replaced by the carefully designed Szabadság tér, which was to receive its own representative building.
The well-known architect Ignác Alpár, also known as the "bank builder", submitted two plans for the tender for the construction of the Stock Exchange Palace, with which he won first and second place. However, it is not known whether he played a significant role in its construction - when the building was erected in 1907, it was one of the largest stock exchange buildings in Europe today, the dimensions of which far exceeded the requirements of Hungary.
On either side of the central domed hall of this 145-metre-long building were the commodity exchange in the north wing and the stock exchange in the south. The halls were 60 x 22 meters with huge windows. András Török writes in his book BUDAPEST - A Critical Guide that this is thanks to the grain traders' lobby, whose finished wing with nine-metre-larger windows ensured perfect lighting conditions.
Of course, there were many other rooms in the building, soundproof phone booths, a post office, a must-have coffee shop, and a street-level telegraph office. The Stock Exchange was here until its dissolution on May 25, 1948, when the Lenin Institute moved in, then the House of Technology before Hungarian Television began operations in 1955. It was first broadcast on May 1, 1957.
The building was completely taken over by MTV by 1969, at the same time the original interior was completely remodeled and much was destroyed. A lot has also been changed structurally and the original charm has been lost. Storerooms became studios, only the central staircase remained in its original form.
It was then purchased by Canada's Tippin Corporation in 2006 when it was declared a national monument. MTV moved out in 2009 and the building has been empty ever since.
In 2017, the Financial Times, among others, reported on an upcoming renovation and conversion that should be completed in 2020. Luxury offices and retail shops were to be built. The current condition can be seen in the pictures.
I can only advise against entering the building. It is secured with cameras and security is on site 24/7 (also stays overnight).
Likewise, access is very delicate given that the building is in the middle of the city. If you don't know the loophole, there's a 99% chance you won't find it.
However, at dawn we succeeded and were rewarded with fantastic images.
The last time anyone walked around the big empty Stock Exchange Palace on Szabadság tér was in 2049, and Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling were filming for the Blade Runner sequel. However, the last year this abandoned landmark was used was 2009, when the Hungarian State Television (MTV) was just moving out.
At the time of its construction, this square was still largely on the outskirts of the city, but that changed quickly around the turn of the century. Budapest grew more and more and the military complex standing here was removed. The building was not only in a state of disrepair but also harbored a bitter past.
Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány was executed here by the Austrians in 1849 and many Hungarian soldiers were imprisoned there. Naturally, the residents claimed the place. Its demolition had been called for since the 1870s. In 1898 it was demolished and replaced by the carefully designed Szabadság tér, which was to receive its own representative building.
The well-known architect Ignác Alpár, also known as the "bank builder", submitted two plans for the tender for the construction of the Stock Exchange Palace, with which he won first and second place. However, it is not known whether he played a significant role in its construction - when the building was erected in 1907, it was one of the largest stock exchange buildings in Europe today, the dimensions of which far exceeded the requirements of Hungary.
On either side of the central domed hall of this 145-metre-long building were the commodity exchange in the north wing and the stock exchange in the south. The halls were 60 x 22 meters with huge windows. András Török writes in his book BUDAPEST - A Critical Guide that this is thanks to the grain traders' lobby, whose finished wing with nine-metre-larger windows ensured perfect lighting conditions.
Of course, there were many other rooms in the building, soundproof phone booths, a post office, a must-have coffee shop, and a street-level telegraph office. The Stock Exchange was here until its dissolution on May 25, 1948, when the Lenin Institute moved in, then the House of Technology before Hungarian Television began operations in 1955. It was first broadcast on May 1, 1957.
The building was completely taken over by MTV by 1969, at the same time the original interior was completely remodeled and much was destroyed. A lot has also been changed structurally and the original charm has been lost. Storerooms became studios, only the central staircase remained in its original form.
It was then purchased by Canada's Tippin Corporation in 2006 when it was declared a national monument. MTV moved out in 2009 and the building has been empty ever since.
In 2017, the Financial Times, among others, reported on an upcoming renovation and conversion that should be completed in 2020. Luxury offices and retail shops were to be built. The current condition can be seen in the pictures.
I can only advise against entering the building. It is secured with cameras and security is on site 24/7 (also stays overnight).
Likewise, access is very delicate given that the building is in the middle of the city. If you don't know the loophole, there's a 99% chance you won't find it.
