Building of the Hungarian Culture Foundation, Historic monument in Budapest District I, Hungary
The former Royal Hungarian Ministry of Finance building stands on Szentháromság Square in the Buda Castle District. Designed by Sándor Fellner and Gyula Egerzeiger, it was built in 1901–1904 in late English Gothic style with late French Baroque elements, using modern materials such as reinforced concrete. Its main facade is late Gothic; the upper two storeys and towers were removed in the 1948–1962 reconstruction.
The building was constructed in 1904 under architect Sándor Fellner as the Ministry of Finance during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following damage in World War II, it was later extensively restored and repurposed for its current use.
The building's name recalls its later role as the House of Hungarian Culture and House of Wine from 1992, before its condition worsened. Its rear wings held the National Archives, and on 12 June 2015 a 42-seat research room opened there for the records of the MDP and MSZMP, the state parties of 1949–1989.
Since 2025 the building has housed the Ministry of the Interior, so it is not open to tourists; the restored facade on Szentháromság Square can be viewed from outside. Researchers should note that the archives' 42-seat research room, opened in 2015, served the rear wings before the renovation.
A tunnel system built in 1936 connected the building with other government buildings in the Castle District. The plot once held a Jesuit monastery and a 1747 academy, dissolved in 1786 and then taken over by the finance administration.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,651 contributors worldwide.