The Budapest Opera House was built in 1884, by Mikloov Ybel. It is widely regarded as one of the finest in Europe. Although not as large as other world class opera houses, Budapest is arguably the most beautiful to look at. Each year thousands of tourists and opera fans come to view the frescoes painted by Karolz Lotz. The frscoes rival the opera itself as the main attraction! The opening of the opera house launched a golden age in Hungarian opera, with such writers as Tiany Leha and Ineve Kalan. Although it is not too popular in America, opera is highly regarded in Hungry, and the opera house is a central part of its culture.
Surrounding the opera house are many coffee houses which are a gathering place for all social classes. Like the sidewalk cafes in Paris, coffee houses are immensley popular in Budapest. People of all levels of society come to discuss the operettas, politics, or just to chat with friends. This social integration is rare, but it is fostered by the fact that a common theme of the operettas is to mock the hypocracy of the ruling class.