Müpa

When Müpa Budapest, Hungary's new capital cultural centre, opened in 2005, it was built to represent over 100 years of Hungarian cultural history. As a conglomeration of cultural venues, the building has no precedent in 20th century Hungarian architecture and is unparalleled throughout Central Europe.

It uniquely brings together the many and varied artistic disciplines by hosting classical, contemporary, popular and world music, as well as jazz and opera, and contemporary circus, dance, literature and film. The three institutions housed in the building - the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall at its heart, the Ludwig Museum closest to the Danube and the Festival Theatre on the other side - were all built in parallel over a period of 28 months in a highly sophisticated and carefully coordinated project.

The fundamental task of the institution is to introduce new artistic trends and directions - while respecting Hungarian and European artistic traditions - and to relay them in a clearly understandable way that creates rich and rewarding experiences for the connoisseur and the person on the street.