Budapest was essentially built in the third part of the 19th century and the early 20th century with a tempo that can be compared to the construction of Chicago. The end of this peaceful period, which lasted until 1914, was characterized by the Art Nouveau style in architecture. This imported style had a Hungarian master, who was acclaimed in Europe as well: Ödön Lechner (1845-1914), „the Hungarian Gaudí. The nickname only applies in the sense that Lechners works are also easy to recognize — but they do not resemble the pieces of the Catalan master in any way. He dressed up modern functionalism with his characteristic decorative forms, using Eastern, especially Indian motives. His disciples once asked him why he designed the roof of one of his buildings (the Postal Savings Bank) to be so decorative, when people cannot even see it from the street. His famous, witty response was: „Birds can see it, though The memories of Art Nouveau mostly lie in two areas of Budapest: in Lipótváros (to the north of the Inner City), and City Park. However, several other buildings of this style are scattered in Budapest.

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