The Mysterious City Park @ Sound Dome || House of Music Hungary

The Mysterious City Park @ Sound Dome || House of Music Hungary

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Budapest's founding, an image film titled The Mysterious City Park was created for the House of Music's Sound Dome in collaboration with Animatiqua, using photos from Fortepan to tell the visual story of the capital's central park—based on photographs from the Fortepan collection.

The distant past of the park and its surroundings comes to life through animated photos, allowing us to experience everyday moments and almost walk alongside famous composers (Franz Liszt, Ferenc Erkel, Béla Bartók), scientists (Edward Teller, John von Neumann, Nikola Tesla), and the residents of that time. In the first and largest part of the 360° archaic-style film, the history of City Park up until 1945 is brought to life, with a special focus on the 1896 World Exhibition held here—primarily through photographs by György Klösz—and the surrounding events, including now-vanished buildings from the Industrial Hall to the Regnum Marianum Church, as well as the historical appearances of the Circus and the Zoo. As we explore the park of that era and move forward in time, we can follow smaller stories, such as how Zoltán Kodály, who lived nearby at today's Kodály Circus, would stroll into the neighboring park. From the second half of the century, the atmosphere of the park’s May Day celebrations is revived, and in the closing section leading into the present, we are ultimately confronted with the realization that the city is constantly in motion and transformation.

Running time: 24 minutes.
Age rating: this performance is not recommended for children under the age of 4.

All rights reserved to House of Music Hungary.
Budapest, Hungary, 2024.