(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Laman Ismayilova read more Mirroring the centuries-old culture and history, Hungarian
architecture is a joy for the eyes of photographers and history
buffs. The country is filled with ancient cathedrals, majestic
castles and other architectural wonders.
Through his photographs, Aydin Sadikhov demonstrates one of the
most iconic sites for those who want to steep themselves into
Hungarian history and architecture.
For Azerbaijani photographers, Hungary has served as a source of
profound inspiration since 2018.
"I visited Hungary for the first time in 2018. During my first
trips, I managed to see and capture on camera the beauty of the
architectural masterpieces in Budapest. At the end of that year, I
went on my second trip to Hungary for a new experience. This time,
I visited other Hungarian cities to learn more about the country,
its history, culture and traditions. Furthermore, I was able to get
acquainted in detail with more than 12 most interesting cities.
Each city in Hungary fascinates with its incredible historical and
architectural masterpieces. After my acquaintance with this
amazingly beautiful country, I decided to share my experience
through his photographs. Since 2018, I have presented nine photo
exhibitions dedicated to Hungary," the photographer told azernews .
His new photo exhibition dedicated to Hungary opened its doors
at Azerbaijani University of Architecture and Construction as part
of the project "Architectural Masterpieces of the World", launched
by Italy-Azerbaijan Design Center and acclaimed photographer,
art-curator Aydin Sadikhov last year.
The project features separate events including photo exhibitions
and presentations on the architectural masterpieces of different
countries, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland,
Mexico.
The fifth exhibition held within the project was devoted to the
Hungarian historical and architectural legacy.
Around 20 magnificent photographs were showcased as part of the
exhibition, organized by the Hungarian Embassy in Azerbaijan.
The photo provides a unique opportunity to plunge into the
wonderful world of historical and architectural masterpieces of the
Hungarian cities like Budapest, Veszprem, Szeged, Sopron, Miskolc
and the historical Hungarian village of Hollokö.
Rector of the University of Architecture and Construction,
professor Gulchohra Mammadova, the Hungarian Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Tamás Jozsef Torma, director of the Italy-Azerbaijan
Design Center Farid Karimov and the project curator, photographer
and traveler Aydin Sadikhov welcomed the guests of the exhibition
opening.
In his speech, Aydin Sadikhov noted that the project
"Architectural Masterpieces of the World" promises many surprises.
One of them is an invitation from the Hungarian Embassy and
participation in the event as a lecturer, the well- known curator
of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection
Documentation Center, Ms. Eszter Baldavari.
The photo exposition was also full of interesting and unexpected
moments. For the first time in Azerbaijan, the architecture of the
Hungarian village of Hollokö, included in the UNESCO World Heritage
List, as well as the city of Veszprem, were showcased as part of
the photo exhibition.
The history and architecture of Hungary and Azerbaijan take a
special place in Aydin Sadikhov's photography and cultural curator
career. For several years, the photographer has successfully
presented the historical sights and cultural features of Hungary
through the photo exhibitions in Baku, and the historical and
cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in Budapest.
As a result, the photographer was awarded the Hungarian state
award Bronze Cross of Merit in 2020 for the development of
Hungarian-Azerbaijani Cultural Relations.
It is important to note that 2023 is a special and even
anniversary year for the cultural history of Hungary. 200 years
ago, more precisely in 1823, the famous Hungarian poet and
politician Ferenc Kölcsey wrote the text of the national anthem of
Hungary. As a result, the date of completion of writing the
manuscript of the national anthem, January 22, became officially
the Day of Culture in Hungary, which is celebrated annually in this
country.
However, there is also another important event of 2023 for the
culture of Hungary. Veszprem, one of the oldest Hungarian cities,
has been officially recognized as the Cultural Capital of Europe
2023. The city was founded during the reign of the Hungarian king
St. Stephen, where later the king and his wife Gisela established
one of the first episcopate in Hungary. The bishops of Veszprem
received the right to crown the Hungarian queens, that is why the
city later became known as the "City of Queens". Almost all the
queens of Hungary received their crowns from the hands of the
bishops of Veszprem, starting with Gisela, the wife of St. Stephen,
to Zita Bourbon-Parma, the last queen of Hungary. Veszprem has a
large number of interesting historical and architectural sights
that allow us to explore different periods of Hungarian
history.
The main architectural features of this ancient Hungarian city
were shown in Azerbaijan for the first time.
Located in the center of Europe, Hungary is considered as a
country of historical and architectural open-air museums. Here we
can see how harmoniously it combines architectural monuments of
different historical times, such as architectural monuments of the
period of the Roman Empire, magnificent temples and fortresses of
the Middle Ages, as well as architectural monuments with national
Hungarian architectural features.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary and one of the most beautiful
cities in Europe, with a rich historical, architectural and
cultural heritage. This is the largest city in the country, which
is often called the "Pearl of the Danube". Budapest is full of
magnificent sights and monuments, museums and theaters, as well as
a thermal spa. Budapest is an exciting combination of ancient
history and rich culture, elegant architecture and the dynamics of
a modern metropolis. Modern Budapest was formed as a result of the
union of the neighboring cities of Buda and Pest. The flat east
coast is Pest, always active, full of museums, architectural
monuments and the magnificent parliament building.
The hilly, western coast is Buda, very quiet, with a cobbled
medieval quarter, Royal Palace and the most beautiful church of St.
Matthias. The historical center of Budapest is included into UNESCO
World Heritage List and is known for its historical sites,
including monuments, architecture, parks, museums and ancient
castles. The most famous symbol of the capital of Hungary is the
building of the Hungarian Parliament - one of the most impressive
neo-Gothic buildings in the World. The building of the Hungarian
Parliament is considered one of the most famous and beautiful
buildings in Europe, shocking with its incredible architecture and
huge size.
The building of the Hungarian Parliament is included in the list
of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is the largest building in
Hungary. Several architectural styles are organically intertwined
in its architecture. The interior decoration of the Parliament
building is mainly made in the Baroque style, the facade is
neo-Gothic, and the ceilings have features of Renaissance
architecture. The Szechenyi Chain Bridge was the first permanent
stone bridge connecting Pest and Buda, one of the most picturesque
sights in Budapest, as well as the most famous bridge in the
Hungarian capital. The construction of the bridge was proposed by
Count István Szechenyi, so the building bears his name in the
title. The famous Thermal Baths in Budapest are also named after
Count Szechenyi. This is a complex of thermal baths, which is the
largest in continental Europe. The baths are housed in a beautiful
neo-baroque palace. Thermal baths include pools of different
temperatures, the water to which is supplied from natural thermal
springs. According to historical references, the thermal springs in
Budapest were discovered and used by the ancient Romans.
After opening ceremony, Aydin Sadikhov together with the
representatives of the Hungarian Embassy briefed the exhibition
visitors about his photographs, historical sites in Hungary and
legends around them.
During a short tour through the works, the photographer noted
that he exhibits for the first his new photo works of the city of
Veszprem, Bori Castle, Gödöllö Palace and the village of
Hollokö.
Hollokö is a settlement of northern Hungary, in the region of
Nograd, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
This small village attracts tourists from all over the world, as it
is the only settlement in Hungary whose inhabitants use the
artificial and natural environment in the same way as they did at
the beginning of the 20th century. The people of Hollokö carefully
protect the ancient customs, traditions and dress in colorful folk
clothes. H
Hollokö is an open-air museum, but the museum is quite unusual,
as the villagers are living and working their daily lives in front
of the visitors and tourists.
The village consists of only one street, so most of the houses
face the main street. The history of Hollokö began in the 13th
century, when a fortress was built on a hill and later a settlement
appeared around it. There is also an interesting and ancient legend
about the fortress, with the crows and the name of the village. The
author of the works told in detail to the visitors an interesting
story about the amazingly beautiful Bori Castle presented at the
exhibition, which is also called the“Castle of Eternal Love.
Externally, Bori Castle looks like a knight's castle with turrets,
donjons and covered galleries. There is a beautiful terrace in
front of the castle with trimmed shrubs, colorful flowers and
amazing statues.
The castle is very beautiful, unusual and definitely unique. The
most amazing thing is the fact that this grandiose building was
actually built by one person. Jenő Bori was a talented sculptor,
architect and builder, who created the main masterpiece of his life
during 40 years of construction works with a break during the World
War. Jenő Bori dedicated the main architectural masterpiece of his
life to the great power of love to his wife Ilona, who became his
main muse.
Almost everything in this castle is filled with the image of
this woman and the theme of love: sculptures, bas-reliefs,
portraits with her image are found here at every step. However,
sculptures and images of historical and mythical characters also
live within the walls of this fantastic castle. Along the open
galleries of the courtyard there are sculptures of Hungarian kings.
Warriors, heroes, sorcerers, animals, multi-figure and small-figure
compositions intertwined in the space of the castle and took their
places.
And of course it is important to highlight finally - the Royal
Palace in Gödöllő. 30 km from Budapest, in the town of Gödöllő,
there is a royal residence of unique beauty, which is also called
the Grassalkovich Palace, in honor of the first owners of this
castle. At the beginning of the 18th century, Count Antal
Grassalkovich I decided to build a new palace in the Baroque style,
which was very popular at that time.
The well-known architect Andras Mayerhoffer worked on the
construction of this palace, which later became one of the most
beautiful and greatest palace and park complexes in Hungary. The
construction of the palace lasted for almost 30 years. The main
building of the palace was built firstly, and all other buildings
were completed further.
The Royal Palace in Gödöllő keeps a long history full of
different events. Due to the fact that the palace was built in
different historical periods, it is possible to find the various
architectural styles in it. Later, the Grassalkovich Palace was
donated to the royal family and thus received the "Royal" status.
The palace was considered a favorite place of Emperor Franz Joseph
I and his wife Elisabeth during the autumn and spring seasons.
After viewing the photo exhibition, the guests of the event went
to the assembly hall of the university, where the second part of
the event continued with an interesting lecture prepared and
presented especially for the event by the curator and art historian
of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection
Documentation Center, Ms. Eszter Baldavári.
The lecture titled "Architecture of Hungary & The Hungarian
Architecture (Examples From The Medieval Firetowers to The Block of
Flats)" provided insight into Hungarian architecture through
photographs.
His photo works give us a glimpse of Budapest's architecture,
the medieval buildings, castles, dwelling-houses and much more.
Beside the architecture some special stories were described through
public sculptures such as Mancs (Paw) the dog or the so-called
guerrilla sculpture of Uncle Ernő in Veszprém, which is the
European Capital of Culture this year.
The photo exhibition dedicated to Hungarian historical and
architectural legacy became one of the brightest cultural events in
Baku.
---