Something Old, Something Nyugati: Budapest Train Station now European Film Landmark

via Wikipedia Commons

Budapest’s most central and ornate train station, Nyugati (Western) station may already be familiar to film buffs, as it is one of the most popular locations for foreign productions filming in the city. It can be seen in such diverse offerings as Munich, Lords of Chaos, Spy Game, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The 25th Hour, not to mention countless Hungarian productions, most prominently perhaps István Szabó’s Sunshine.

The landmark was recently honoured with its inclusion on the European Film Academy’s European Heritage list. According to Screendaily.com, “The Treasures is the Academy’s list of places of a symbolic nature for European cinema that it argues need to be maintained and protected. They include London’s Freemason’s Hall, which has appeared in films such as Spectre, Sherlock Holmes and The Death Of Stalin, and The Notting Hill Bookshop, which featured in Richard Curtis’s Notting Hill. Other locations selected include Rome’s Trevi Fountain (La Dolce Vita), Quilter Street in Bethnal Green, London (Secrets and Lies), Scotland’s Lochailort Church (Breaking The Waves), Warsaw’s Inflancka Housing Complex (Dekalogue), Madrid’s Circulo de Bellas Artes (Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother) and Paris’ Café des Deux Moulins (Amelie).”

Nyugati station is part of local culture and our urban landscape, but did you know that it was designed by one of France’s most famous architectural firms? We are talking about Eiffel firm architect August de Serres. That it has not achieved the iconic status of the Eiffel Tower makes it only the more unique in its ability to stand in for a grand railway station in most any large city in Europe. Completed in 1877, the 66,000 square foot space has gone through recent renovations. The current interior of Nyugati station resonates with elegance and utility. The iron and glass design allows for a bright space that still feels moody and romantic: just right for that railway station farewell. May there be many more to come.

For a complete list of locations on the European Heritage list of locations, look here.

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