The long-awaited moment in Hungarian opera life arrived on September 27, 1884, when, in the presence of Franz Joseph I. the Opera House was opened amid great pomp and ceremony. The event, however, erupted into a small scandal - the curious crowd broke into the entrance hall and overran the security guards in order to catch a glimpse of the splendid Palace on Sugar út. The Hungarian Opera world finally had its own building following decades of forced cohabitation with the National Theatre. The first comprehensive plans for the independent Opera House were drawn um by Bódog Orczy, the director of the National Theatre. The specific plans and budget were the responsibility of Miklós Ybl. Based on his plans a competition was announced in 1873, attracting famous Hungarian and foreign architects alike. Ybl was the undisputed victor of the competition. The construction, which began with great momentum, slowed to a halt at the end of the 1870s due to financial concerns. Therefore, the Opera House was not completed until much later than planned, in the summer of 1884. Frigyes Podmaniczky, director of the building committee, employed only Hungarian artists, masters and firms in the construction of the Opera House. The only exceptions were the great bronze chandelier from Mainz and the stage machinery moda by the Asphaleia company of Vienna. Upon its completion, the Opera House, which took nine years to build, was Europe's most modern opera house - a building which combined the artistic with the practical. In June 1980, the building reached the point for interior and exterior renovations. Following the painstaking work, the Opera House was re-opened on its 100th anniversary, September 27, 1984, ready to greet the audience in all its former glory.

Now, everyone can visit the National Opera House without the need of overrunning These magnificent place. Come, and look at this national treasure of Hungary, feel the magnificiency of the building and it's history. It is something that should not be left out of a visit to Budapest.