Andrea Amati (ca. 1505–ca. 1577) created the form of the violin that we know today, which was perfected by Antonio Stradivari (ca. 1644–1737) and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesú (1698–1744). The violins produced by these Cremona craftsmen are still the standards by which all violins are judged, although over the ensuing centuries, others have made their own small developments, the body and scroll are unchanged. There are secrets and concepts, which influence an instrument’s sonority which are still n...ot entirely understood, for example there remains a host of mysteries and legends surrounding the inimitable varnish that Stradivari used. Violin making in Hungary began about one hundred and fifty years after it did in Italy. Initially it was the German school which was the primary influence but then violin makers turned their attention to the Italian tradition and by the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Hungarian violin making had caught up with the other European schools. In the 20th century, the international market was flooded with cheaply made mass produced violins and this destroyed many small workshops. Now equilibrium has been reached and each has its place. There are workshops in which violins are produced using centuries old methods, special materials, hand work and the use application of oil varnishes, and in their finish and sound, they can compete with their predecessors from three centuries before. But there are only a few such workshops left in the world. One of these is the Guminár Workshop in Budapest and visitors to this exhibition will get a glimpse into the world of violin making.
Parking information
We wish to inform you that in the event that Müpa Budapest's underground garage and outdoor car park are operating at full capacity, it is advisable to plan for increased waiting times when you arrive. In order to avoid this, we recommend that you depart for our events in time, so that you you can find the ideal parking spot quickly and smoothly and arrive for our performance in comfort. The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.
Safe ticket purchase
Dear Visitors, please note that only tickets purchased from the Müpa website and official ticket offices are guaranteed to be valid. To avoid possible inconvenience, we suggest buying tickets to our performances and concerts via the mupa.hu website, the Interticket national network (jegy.hu) or at our official ticket offices.