Princess Mary Adél Amália Klotild of Habsburg had many special friends that year. As it was called at the time, the Duchess, who dreamed of the iconic twin palaces in what is now Ferenciek Square at the turn of the century, has, according to legend, even built a secret bar in the attic of the southern palace, where he received his guests, members of the contemporary decadent movement. Primarily artists, to whom the party-loving noble woman also lent loft flats on the upper level of the imposing building so that dear friends could create and have a place to relax. party fatigue.
The stylishly renovated terrace bar on the roof of the matured Matild Palace, which has been reborn as a luxury hotel, is not even open, it is certain that Duchess Budapest will be one of my new favorite places and a self-serving point. On the one hand because from a height of almost 50 meters there is a view of almost the whole of Budapest, on the other hand because golden giraffes guard the gates, and from below the peacocks support the tables. In the place that opens on July 15, the whiskey line is already lined up above the counter, and with the female participants in the press tour, we say almost at the same time that faithful, let me be so lucky in life that one day I am invited here to date.
And we might even be lucky with the girls, because the latest jewel of the Marriott hotel chain, Matild Palace, the Luxury Collection Hotel, Budapest, which will also receive guests from tomorrow, does not want to create an inclusion with itself. And then at this point, we leave it to everyone’s imagination what kind of elite or less elite guests you imagine from the start in a new luxury hotel in Budapest in Turkish hands. By comparison
the goal is for the Matild Palace to be loved and felt by the Hungarians, as well as the Hungarians, in addition to tourists and business travelers, especially the exciting catering units of the institution.
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Especially after entering the Spuna Budapest restaurant from the Duna Street side of the hotel, in a sense we really get a meal like a Hollywood star, after the 27-year-old permanent chef of the Oscars opened his first European restaurant at the Matild Palace in Budapest. Incidentally, the world-famous Austro-American gastronomy is notable for having won several prestigious Michelin stars with its restaurants during its career, and is a real favorite in the social and culinary life of Beverly Hills, among others.
It is already really a category of incomprehensible gastro and cultural fusion, because it is simply too surreal that the revival of the traditional Pest cabaret and revue can also be attributed to the gastropope of Hollywood. Wolfgang Puck and the Spago team are also in charge of the former Downtown Café, which was renovated together with Matild Palace. The former unadulterated Pest café, which opened in September, was restored by the team of archaeologists working on the renovation, partly on the basis of contemporary drawings and photographs, to really paint it today, like when Gyula Krúdy wrote Sindbád next to his tables.
It was then that the original circular revue stage was unearthed, which archaeologists learned that during the renovation, the house was once housed in the house by a former elderly caretaker of Matild Palace, who asked where the stage was. This is how the concept was born, that from 10 pm the two-storey Matild Café & Cabaret awaits its guests with a musical, dance revue show. With a show that, despite its former popularity, is now completely worn out from the night in Pest. Even so, the Pest cabaret was once a successful private label development in the capital.
The world-famous award-winning designer of Greek descent, Maria Vafiadis herself, did not leave anything to chance. In addition to a thorough look at the history of the building, it seems to be a pleasant experience in the historic spas of Budapest, as the beautiful turquoise green tiles and slightly mystical hammam atmosphere return in many points of the Matild Palace. Probably in the company of the hotel’s self-contained smart toilets, showering in the Matild Palace will be as if meditative steam is pouring on us in the Lukács or Széchenyi baths.
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Gallery: Matilda’s PalacePhoto: Patnícia Bodnár / Index
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Emre Pasli, the director of the palace himself, said that experts from the Hungarian university and academic spheres were also involved as consultants, so that each element of the listed building evokes the former Budapest. That is why the dominant color of the interiors of Matild Palace became the characteristic Zsolnay green, not to mention that every last small element of the house has an idea and, of course, a unique design. While it’s really not an empty marketing text that the hotel manager says is a luxury here or there, walking around Matild Palace doesn’t strain you at all, in return you feel like you can be yourself in a tasteful, lifelike and infinitely sophisticated yet non-ostentatious medium.
But who is Matild?
In vain do many believe today that the twin palaces facing each other on both sides of the road to the Danube once belonged to a charming pair of twins, Klotild and Matild. The only thing behind the urban folklore is that of the two ladies, only Klotild existed. At least when the palaces were built between 1899 and 1902.
The first Matild was a Bavarian princess who lived between 1251 and 1304, about whom we know relatively little about her life.
Although the era might even be right here, the second Matild, born in 1849, was only 18 years old when he wanted to smoke a cigarette before a theatrical performance, but his non-smoking father dranked it. To this, the young girl hid behind her a burning cigarette, which unfortunately ignited her hair, causing Matild to suffer such severe burns that unfortunately her life vessel could no longer be saved.
And the third Matild was born in 1906, long after the buildings were completed. That is, there is no evidence that they were the namesakes, but rather that the name Klotild and Matild palaces became commonplace in the vernacular because of the well-sounding concordance of the two names.
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The vomited story of a palace couple
Klotild Habsburg (1846-1927), the builder of the twin palaces, the wife of Archduke Joseph, believed that the two imposing buildings would be a worthy gate and a graceful greeting to those arriving in Pest from Elizabeth Bridge. The princess commissioned the architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, who were considered good-natured at the time, and the work, which began in 1899, was completed in 1902. In addition to their unparalleled beauty, what made the twins special was that they were built in a very progressive way for the age, for example, the buildings were given an iron structure, which was covered with carved stone cladding.
Meanwhile, the first elevators of Budapest also operated in the Klotild palaces. Here, the interesting thing about the story is that the company that makes elevators for the princess still exists today, including the elevators of today’s malls and shopping malls. As the Matild Palace was fortunately not bombed in the II. During World War II, some of the original, magnificent Art Nouveau glass surfaces and inlays designed by Miksa Róth have remained intact to this day, so during the current renovation there was one of them, which – with a little exaggeration – just had to be dusted off.
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Gallery: Matilda’s PalacePhoto: Patnícia Bodnár / Index
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What also makes the two historic buildings unique is that, thanks to the complete symmetry of the space, Klotild and Matild are perfect reflections of each other. Even as they both stretch to a height of 48 meters and their heads are covered with a copy of the Archduke’s crown. When they were built, Archduchess Klotild intended the ground floor to house presses, shops and galleries, the rooms on the first floor were given to associations, and flats on the upper floors. Finally, citing the difficulties of the war, the Habsburgs sold the palaces in 1917.
This is how they got to a wealthy Hungarian landowner, and then came the Second World War, after which the buildings were somewhat restored in the 1950s. They were badly damaged during the Second World War, and the roofs of both palaces and the wing of the northern building facing Váci Street were also seriously damaged. Then, from the second half of the sixties, a self-service restaurant operated on the site of the café. In 1977, both palaces received monument protection, and the neo-baroque-style pair of buildings has since been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
After the change of regime, Klotild became the Post Office and, to put it mildly, sold in 2002 under unclear circumstances. The new Jordanian owners have at least started renovating, so in 2012 the five-star Buddha Bar Hotel opened its doors. If anyone still remembers, the opening of the luxury hotel and its bar were also attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, former President Pál Schmitt and Archbishop Péter Erdő, as well as all the ambassadors accredited to Budapest according to the reports at the time.
Matild holding Turkish hands
In 2014, the Matild Palace was sold by the 5th District Municipality, led by Antal Rogán, to the Hungarian company of the Turkish Özyer Group, Melis Investment, for HUF 2.6 billion. The municipality announced the international tender for the purchase of the palace anno, to which only the Turks applied in the end. Giving a background to the project, in September 2016, Viktor Orbán declared the just completed development of the Matild Palace to be a priority of national economic interest in a resolution. Meanwhile, the Özyer Group also bought the Central Café, which also has a strong tradition.
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Gallery: Matilda’s PalacePhoto: Patnícia Bodnár / Index
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The owners of the three-generation Turkish family business planned the original opening of the Matild Palace, which will be transformed into a hotel, for the summer of 2017, and then in 2018 it was already known that the well-known Marriott hotel chain would join the project. Later, it was also about opening in 2019 and then 2020, and then Covid intervened, with the first of which the first guests can take possession of the building as early as tomorrow morning.
A luxury palace hotel in numbers
- The Matild Palace was renovated in 5 years, which took so long because archaeologists and architects meticulously rebuilt every single moment in faith.
- A luxury hotel You can order accommodation in some of total 130 cozy rooms.
- Of these, 111 so-called signature rooms and 19 suites, all of which are unique, are not two identical rooms in the hotel.
- The crowned tower of Matilda Palace itself has also been transformed into a special three-storey suite with a very special 360-degree panorama of the entire city from a height of 48 meters.
- There are rooms on a total of six floors, including a small spa and conference area.
- With its three catering units, Matild Palace can serve approximately 700 people at a time, which stands out in its capacity on both the Hungarian and European levels.
(Cover image: Bodnár Patrícia / Index)
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