The architecture of Hungary is understood as the architecture of the territory of Hungary, and in a wider sense the historical territory of the Kingdom of Hungary. Architecture in Hungary reflects historical influences from foreign occupation, notably by the Habsburg, Ottoman and Soviet empires. Major architectural styles represented include Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance from the medieval period, Ottoman, Baroque and Classical from the early modern period, Art Noveau from the late modern period, and Soviet from the mid-to-late 20th century.
Characteristic of vernacular architecture in rural Hungary is the use of adobe, brick and timber in construction, and tiled or thatched roofs, often featuring carved woodwork and folk motifs. Architectural features preserved in vernacular tradition have been reinterpreted in public architecture, by the likes of Ödön Lechner, Imre Makovecz and Karóly Kós, often drawing on folk heritage and historical connections to the broader Eurasian-Steppe and Central Asia.
In the time of the foundation of the country
The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin by the Hungarians settled an architectural history in the country. The roads and cities of the Roman province were not completely destroyed by the Migration Period but rather new settlements were created on them. The Roman buildings were used as mines and mansions (for example, the Kurszán Castle in Óbuda). Those churches of the Slavic peoples that were converted to the Christian faith survived, as did that of Zalavár.
King Stephen I of Hungary, with the creation of a feudal state required the construction of monumental stone buildings. This demand was initially in charge to servants, craftsmen abducted from the West, and then by craftsmen, masons and Italian stone carvers. The First Church of Kalocsa with its three-nave basilical arrangement and its apse pointed to Italian models, to the earliest Christian Ravenna influences. It also includes the Basilica of the Assumption of Székesfehérvár, one of the largest churches of Europe in its time, founded by the King Stephen I of Hungary, which later became the administrative center, coronation church and traditional royal burial ground of the Hungarian Kingdom.
Smaller churches like the Pécsvárad Abbey and the excavatede remains of the Tihany Abbey also have an Italian influence. The base walls of the crypt of the Feldebrő Church are from the Eastern, perhaps a Byzantine practice. The strengthening of feudalism created new opportunities. During the reconstruction of the Pécs Cathedral, was formed the basilica of the Hungarian Romanesque style, the three-nave basilica, without transept, with a semicircular apse. The carved stone is from the Lombard effect through Dalmatia. This floor plan system remained almost unchanged until 11th and 12th centuries, but the tower pairs arrangements were not followed in Pécs. The towers first adorned the western façade, and a few decades later only the eastern façade.
In the Árpádian's age Béla III of Hungary's age
The resulting uniformity was replaced by a more complex art in the time of king Béla III of Hungary. By the time of Byzantine king, was expected to have a major French influence alongside the Byzantine. This was more evident in Esztergom, where he wanted to create a center similar to Constantinople with the unity of the secular and ecclesiastical architecture. The St. Adalbert's Cathedral and the palace of Esztergom, burned in 1181, were the first example of this. The Archbishop Jób built a magnificent temple, a royal palace south of the cathedral, and a chapel. Although Béla III did not realize his plan, the building just finished was delivered to the archbishop. However, the Székesfehérvár's construction works at that time continued to follow the pattern of Pécs. The mixing style developed in Esztergom was manifested in many ways in the early 13th century. The type of door became especially popular, as shown by the southern door of the Cathedral of Alba Iulia, current Romania. The individual details also spread like the head of a rotating blade in the Premontre monastery of Ócsa. The Rite of Esztergom is most clearly shown in the Reformed Church in Kisbény.
Effect of the Cistercians Following the French relations of Esztergom, the Cistercian order appeared in the Kingdom of Hungary. The system brought with it a strong arts program, including the prohibition of figurative sculptures, mural paintings and the construction of the towers, toward the contemporary of Burgundy when the Gothic was applied. The order was first established in Eger in 1142. They were conquered during the reign of Béla III, who enjoyed the same privileges as on French soil. Only the fragments of the churches of the Zirc Abbey and Pilis Abbey that were formed at that time and the Cistercian abbey of Bélapátfalva have survived, but in the end they remained almost intact after the Mongol invasion. The Cistercian influence is also reflected in the lower church of the Pannonhalma Archabbey, founded during the reign of Grand Prince Géza, and in this style was built the Royal Castle of Óbuda.
Impact of the Premonstratensians According to tradition, the first monastery of the Premonstratensian canons in Hungary was founded in 1130 in Váradelőhegy (near present-day Oradea) and its presence before 1135 is demonstrated by documents. The Árpád age Provost 39 was created, including Adony, Csorna, Hatvan, Kaposfő, Majk, Türje, the Nyulak Island (today Margaret Island of Budapest) and Zsámbék and the Female Santiago Apostle monastery of Mórichida also worked in Somlóvásárhely and Szeged. The monks outside the monastic and pastoral life dealt with place of authentication activities, assumed an important role in the manuscript culture dissemination in Hungary. During the Turkish occupation, the domestic operation of the Premontre Order almost ceased. Its properties became property of the Austrian provinces in the 18th century.
National monasteries The 13th century also wanted to express its consciousness in the construction of a layer of land, which had grown strong by the end of the century. In the centre of their estates, churches serving as burial places were built, usually with a small number of monasteries. The first national monastery was built in the 11th century, but the building type has a flowering age of the 13th century. Its basic form is the three-nave system established at the Pécs Cathedral, which is closed by semi circle apse, but the location of the towers varies. In Boldva had a tower pair with an eastern orientation, but in Acâș (current Romania) has already abandoned its eastern construction and built a Western one. In the inner space, there is always a room for the Lord's choir. The most mature memories of the National monasteries -forming a School- remained in Transdanubia. First the Abbey church of St. James in Lébény was built in 1208, then the Abbey church of St George of Ják in 1220. The construction was interrupted by the Mongol invasion. The type is followed by the Premonstratensian church of Türje, the Premontre monastery of Ócsa, the Arača in current Serbia, the Sopronhorpács Parochial Church, the Premontre monastery church of Zsámbék and the Upper castle church of Felsőörs. The church of Zsámbék it already shows Gothic marks in its form.
The clerical churches were built in a more modest version. According to St. Stephen's law on the construction of ten churches, the villages were united. However, their temples were not made of durable material, but made of wood, apothecary, cane. On the basis of these churches we know the center of the villages, because the law also stipulated that the village should not be away from the church (such as Himesháza or Kiskunfélegyháza). Between the remaining churches, there are also central and long-term types. Common on the outside with a circular wall, on the inside with a pearly solution (Горяни in current Ukraine, Karcsa, Pápoc). This purely circular layout was just a solution to cemetery treatments. There's not much to know about secular architecture at this age. The place of residence must have been a tent or a wooden house, the stone house only appears as a rarity. We don't know much about the castle building either. The chronicler Anonymus refers to hillforts with elements of Slavic origin, fortifications made of twigs and mud. The tower of Esztergom, which formed the core of the castle, suggests that this type of building has already appeared.
Appearance of the Gothic From the second half of the 13th century a new layer of society appeared as the customer of art works, the citizenship. The art of the citizenship came into contact with the art of Royal centers in many ways. Since the law of the king Béla IV of Hungary, the protection of the urban settlement by the king Béla IV, has been erected by a stone wall, built towers and gates. In addition to the ecclesiastical art, significant secular art was developed (residential houses, wells, roads). Urban craftsmen did not affect the architecture of the houses. Building houses and castles became an independent artistic task, and the Gothic art was developing. It played an important role in the development of Gothic architecture. After the law of Béla IV, a massive construction began. Béla IV began the construction of the new Royal headquarters, Buda. Although the Royal Centre had already been transferred to Óbuda, the site was considered to be warlike and construction began on the South Side of the Castle Hill. At that time, the construction of Buda was still at a modest level, the main aspect was of protection. In addition to the castle, a town was established on the north side. The King's construction works include The Franciás Boldogasszony and the simpler Church of Mary Magdalene of Budapest, the Dominican Monastery of St. Nicholas, Buda and the monastery of the Dominican Monastery of Margaret Island. In these buildings, the ribcage cross-vault has already appeared.
Construction was carried out all over the country (Lower Castle of Visegrád, the Tower of Solomon, the tower of Sárospatak, etc.). King Béla IV made donations to the wealthy leaders and encouraged them to do the same. The militars and bishops were almost competing in construction. The central tower of these castles was built on steep rock or gully, to which additional rooms, walls and gates were connected according to the terrain. The courtyard was narrow, here cisterns and wells provided the water. The huge old towers were usually gloomy, only the most modest demands were met (Castle of Csesznek, Castle of Sümeg, Castle of Trenčín (the latter in current Slovakia)).
Popular architecture The development of cities started in the 13th century. Sources of the same age present Sopron, Buda and Esztergom as a townships. In these cities you can feel the radiance of the Buda architecture, like the sanctuary of the Franciscan Church of Sopron and the extension of the sanctuary of the Alba Iulia (the latter in current Romania). The Anjou era Gothic art is based on these.
Anjou and Sigismund's eras
The Anjou kings cast the foundations of the Visegrád's Citadel and the Royal palace. At the same time, the construction of the Buda Castle was going on, and at the age of king Louis I of Hungary, the foundations of the today's Buda Castle were already in place (Tower of Stephen). After Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor took the throne, a direct connection established the Fresh Palace construction with the royal centre in Prague. Sigismund built the new wing of the Fresh Palace and the Tower of Bones rising from the city.