Self‑guide information for visitors to the Wenckheim Palace, home to the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library
You may take photos for personal use in the palace rooms in accordance with GDPR regulations. During your visit, please respect the peace and quiet of the users studying here. Thank you!
Where are we?
Built between 1886 and 1889, this neo-baroque palace was the Pest residence of Count Frigyes Wenckheim and Countess Krisztina Wenckheim. After the death of the count and countess, their heirs sold the building to Budapest, and it has been operating as a library since 1931. Its magnificent ceremonial halls have retained their original patina even after the renovation. The library took on its current form between 1998 and 2001, when the Wenckheim Palace was connected to the neighboring Berczik Palace and a new library building.
The representative palace rooms are accessible from the 1st floor of the Wenckheim Palace, on the 4th floor of the modern wing.
The central library of Hungary's busiest public library network has 1.7 million documents. The library welcomes 560-570 thousand visitors annually, including tens of thousands of tourists. It has been the location for numerous films and series, including those starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bruce Willis, Richard Burton, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, John Cena, and Jessica Biel. In 2025, it was voted one of the world's most beautiful libraries by 1000Libraries Magazine and featured on NBC's 1st Look: Budapest.
The representative palace rooms are accessible from the 1st floor of the Wenckheim Palace, on the 4th floor of the modern wing.
The central library of Hungary's busiest public library network has 1.7 million documents. The library welcomes 560-570 thousand visitors annually, including tens of thousands of tourists. It has been the location for numerous films and series, including those starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bruce Willis, Richard Burton, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, John Cena, and Jessica Biel. In 2025, it was voted one of the world's most beautiful libraries by 1000Libraries Magazine and featured on NBC's 1st Look: Budapest.
Lexicon Room (former State Dining Room)
The Lexicon Room – mainly home to general and specialized encyclopedias – is a dark-colored, heavy wood-paneled, neo-Renaissance style room that was once the State Dining Room of the Wenckheim Palace. Its huge bronze and crystal chandelier is the palace's most valuable and only original chandelier still in its original location, weighing a total of 1700 kilogrammes (cca 3748 lb). The bookcases in the room were made for the library between 1927 and 1931.
The beautifully carved legs of the table opposite the entrance are also worth admiring!
The beautifully carved legs of the table opposite the entrance are also worth admiring!
Large and Small Ballrooms
The white and gold Large Ballroom, decorated in Rococo style, is the most ornate room in the Wenckheim Palace. The three large archades on its northern wall visually connect it to the Mirrored Corridor behind it, which once served as a resting place for dancers, while on its western side, a huge glass door leads to the adjacent, darker Small Ballroom.
The stucco decorations covering the walls of the Large Ballroom are particularly dense towards the ceiling: in addition to the gilded roses and vines, puttis dancing and playing music on the ceiling make the room even more ornate, while the golden coats of arms above the windows bear the initials of the builders, Count Frigyes Wenckheim and Countess Krisztina (Christina) Wenckheim:
F, C.
If we look up at the lower space between the two rooms, we can see the orchestra gallery,
which opens in both directions: this way, the dancers in both rooms could hear the music perfectly.
The stucco decorations covering the walls of the Large Ballroom are particularly dense towards the ceiling: in addition to the gilded roses and vines, puttis dancing and playing music on the ceiling make the room even more ornate, while the golden coats of arms above the windows bear the initials of the builders, Count Frigyes Wenckheim and Countess Krisztina (Christina) Wenckheim:
F, C.
If we look up at the lower space between the two rooms, we can see the orchestra gallery,
which opens in both directions: this way, the dancers in both rooms could hear the music perfectly.
Silver Salon
The cabinets of Count Frigyes Wenckheim's former private reception room, which were made for the library in 1931, now house the permanent exhibition of our Budapest Collection. Arriving from the Small Ballroom, in the opposite right-hand corner, we can follow the history of the development of the Palace Quarter, while opposite we can see the artists and their works who participated in the construction of the Wenckheim Palace: Artúr Meinig, the palace architect, Gyula Jungfer, the creator of the wrought-iron gate and railings, János Fadrusz, the sculptor, and Endre Thék, the cabinetmaker, as well as some pictures and plans of the palace's conversion into a library. Immediately to the left, we can see pictures of the Wenckheim family, who once built and owned the palace. It is worth looking for archive photos of the neighboring reception hall!
Reception Hall
The room above the ground floor lobby and carriage entrance was once the Wenckheim family's Reception Hall: guests arriving via the main staircase were welcomed here by the family. It was also known as the Mirror Salon or Tapestry Salon: the former needs no explanation, as mirrors all around the room reflect the rich stucco decoration. The other nickname - tapestry salon - comes from the huge Rococo-style tapestry pictures that once adorned the walls – we could see them on the archive photos of this room in the exhibiton of the previous Silver Salon.
Golden Salon (or Birdy Salon)
This was once the private reception room of Countess Krisztina Wenckheim. It got its nickname, Birdy Salon, from the pairs of gilded birds visible on the stucco border running along the ceiling. Those with keen eyesight can spot two pairs of birds.
The cabinets in the room were made for the library in 1931. They currently house the permanent exhibition of our Music Collection about the events held in the neighbouring Pálffy Palace, whose reddish-coloured building can be seen through the window: free classical and jazz concerts, book presentations, bibliotherapy, book clubs, and scientific lectures add color to our library's program offerings.
The cabinets in the room were made for the library in 1931. They currently house the permanent exhibition of our Music Collection about the events held in the neighbouring Pálffy Palace, whose reddish-coloured building can be seen through the window: free classical and jazz concerts, book presentations, bibliotherapy, book clubs, and scientific lectures add color to our library's program offerings.
Philosophy Reading Room (former Parlor)
Our library's Philosophy Reading Room – home to philosophy and psychology reference books – was originally the parlor of the Wenckheim family. Of the furnishings currently on display, the huge white marble fireplace, the mirror above it bearing the Wenckheim family’s coat of arms, and the ceiling are original. The bookshelves, the gallery running around three sides of the room, and the spiral staircase leading up to it were completed in time for the library's opening in 1931. It is worth noting how faithfully the wrought-iron railing, made almost half a century later, follows the pattern of the carved ceiling!
Grand staircase
From the darkness of the relatively narrow main entrance hall, a staircase leads the visitors almost immediately up to the spacious, thanks to its glass roof, brightly lit grand staircase. The stucco decoration on the walls imitates leaves and vines, and from this arbor eastern dragons crawl onto the marble balustrade, inspiring Csaba Jakab, the interior designer of our children's library: thanks to them, the dragon became the mascot of our children's library, of the so-called Dragon’s Library.
More than just a palace...
The library's modern spaces also offer great photo spots: feel free to explore every nook and cranny of the 13,000-square-meter building. If the Dragon's Library (1st floor) is open, we recommend you take a look inside, or walk up the spiral staircase and look down from above: this is one of the most spectacular spots in our library. From the windows on the second floor overlooking the lobby, you can admire the beautiful stucco decorations above the former stable, while from the huge windows on the ground floor overlooking the inner courtyard, you can gaze at the huge dragons of the Dragon Courtyard.
At the end of your visit, stop by our café and relax with a cup of delicious coffee.
Thank you for visiting our library: we look forward to seeing you again!
At the end of your visit, stop by our café and relax with a cup of delicious coffee.
Thank you for visiting our library: we look forward to seeing you again!
Photos: MESZL
Information
Central Library
1088 Budapest, Reviczky utca 1.Go to
Opening hours
-
Today 10:00-20:00
Tomorrow: 10:00-16:00
Detailed
Information:
06 1 411 5100
Further contact details
Contact for the director:
E-mail: kktitkar@fszek.hu
Phone number:
06 1 411 5017
Manager: Farkas Ferenc
director
Beiratkozás
Registration for natural and legal persons:
free of charge / 12 months
Administration fee of registration reader card:
HUF 400 / 12 months
Daily card: HUF 1700 / day
Borrowing privileges in one library:
HUF 8400 / 12 months
HUF 5800 / 6 months
Establishment of membership for using all branches simultaneously:
HUF 12000 / 12 months
HUF 9000 / 6 months
Discounts
free of charge / 12 months
Administration fee of registration reader card:
HUF 400 / 12 months
Daily card: HUF 1700 / day
Borrowing privileges in one library:
HUF 8400 / 12 months
HUF 5800 / 6 months
Establishment of membership for using all branches simultaneously:
HUF 12000 / 12 months
HUF 9000 / 6 months
Discounts
Online
