The capitals of the Danube – Vienna, Budapest – Parallel cityscapes 1850-1920. This is the title of the exhibition which was opened in Castle Bazaar, where the audience can see certain stages of urban development of the two capitals in up to 300 turn-of-the-century photos.
“The photos which are exhibited in the Southern Palace of Castle Bazaar were to be seen in Ringturm architecture gallery in Vienna from April to July, 2016”, István Tarlós, Mayor of Budapest mentioned at the opening. He emphasized that the exhibition makers did professional research work, as a result of which they can commemorate “the architectural vanity of the era”. The mayor announced that he agreed with Michael Häupl, Mayor of Vienna on intensifying the relations between the two cities and on strengthening the role of the Danube.
It gives particular relevance to the exhibition that the 150th anniversary of the building of the Ringstrasse in Vienna was celebrated in 2015, the mayor of Vienna explained. On remembering the anniversary of the jubilee of the Ringstrasse, Michael Häupl recalled the social and architectural history of the development of Vienna, and he also mentioned that all these resulted in the rapid development of the city as well as its citizens. He emphasized: the development experience of the past could be utilized in the case of both capitals for the future.
László L. Simon, state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office said: by bringing the common past closer together, the exhibition makers provide an opportunity that “through culture, we can think about the common future and cooperation with our Austrian friends”.
The exhibition material ordered into 75 photo groups is unique in its depth as well as in its quantity, considering that no one else before had made such a systematic comparison of the urbanistic parallelism of the two cities.
“The exhibition gives an insight into the process of becoming a metropolis with the help of 150 photo pairs with different themes: the visitors can see the building of railways and boulevards, the modernization of commerce, the dynamic changes of the outskirts, the role of the Danube or the development of the entertainment industry emerging together with the cosmopolitan lifestyle”, István Kenyeres, director of Budapest City Archives expressed.
