Andrássy Avenue 2, Eclectic palace at Andrássy Avenue, Hungary
Andrássy Avenue 2 is a four-story palace located at the intersection of Andrássy Avenue and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Road, topped with a restored Hermes statue. The building now houses two hotels, legal offices, residential apartments, and an antiquarian bookstore on its ground floor.
Architect Adolf Feszty designed this structure in 1882 for the French Foncière Insurance company, following a competition that received 58 architectural proposals. It was built during a period when Budapest was transforming into a modern city.
The building sits at the start of Andrássy Avenue, a street recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and shows how Budapest's architecture changed during the 19th century. Visitors walking by can see how the facade tells the story of the city's growth during that period.
The building is easy to spot at the corner where Andrássy Avenue meets Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Road, and the facade details are best viewed from street level. The antiquarian bookstore on the ground floor is open to the public, while the hotels and offices occupy the upper floors.
The building's original dome was destroyed during World War II and was never replaced, which changed its roofline permanently. Inside, the green-painted cast-iron columns in the staircase from the 1880s show the craftsmanship of that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
