Location Scout in Budapest: Parisi Udvar

A Lavishly ornate building built at the beginning of the 1900s that housed shops, bank offices and apartments, fell into disrepair during the Communist years but regained its former glory after extensive restoration work in 2019.

Parisi Udvar

The building was constructed on the site of a former department store, Brudern House, one of the first of its kind in Hungary. The shopping corridor there had been designed on the model of the Passage des Panoramas in Paris, which is why people began to refer to it colloquially as the “Parisian House”. After the Brudern House was demolished at the turn of the 20th Century, the land was bought by the inner city’s savings bank (Belvárosi Takarékpénztár) in 1906 in order to build and establish a new HQ there.

A Brief History

Nestled in the heart of downtown Budapest and dripping in Gothic-inspired detail, Parisi Udvar, or "Paris Courtyard", finished construction in 1913. Featuring an intricate glass ceilings and dome, the ground-floor of the building was originally designed to function as a shopping arcade with open pedestrian entrances at either side, reflecting the elegance of Parisian shopping arcades.

With its tiled façade, ornate mosaics and gargoyles, this eclectic building is a fusion of Gothic and Moorish-elements. It’s no surprise that it was designed by German-born architect Henrik Schmahl, the man behind the similarly remarkable Uránia Cinema in Budapest’s 7th district. We’ve written about the Urania before, which shares this distinctive Moorish ornamental architectural style with the Parisi Udvar.

Urania Cinema. Picture from Wikipedia.

Falling into disrepair after the Second World War and during Hungary’s Communist era, the building was patched up from time-to-time. However, it wasn’t until it was purchased by the Mellow Mood Group of investors in 2014 that the site began to be lovingly restored to its former glory using high-quality, appropriate materials and an extensive team of craftsmen. The renovations, concluded in 2019, reportedly cost 12 billion HUF (52 million euro in today’s terms), including the purchase price of the building.

Parisi Udvar now functions as a five star hotel, part of the Unbound Collection of the Hyatt group.

Párisi Udvar in Films

Budapest is already well-established in the film world for its versatility and ability to stand in for diverse locations. It’s doubled for Berlin, Munich, Moscow, Paris and even cities in the U.K. and U.S. Before its restoration, Parisi Udvar also featured in the movie series UNDERWORLD (2003) about vampires (which was visually heavy on the Gothic elements), as well as the film, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (2011), an espionage thriller set during the Cold War.

Flatpack Films has years of experience servicing international brands, agencies, and production companies. Filming in Hungary is easy when relying on their knowledge of the market and ability to solve complex needs. They bring the best that Hungary has to offer in terms of unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top-of-the-line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more.

Get in touch and learn more about Budapest film locations, Hungarian film incentives, film tax credits in Hungary and how Flatpack Films can bring your project to life through a highly bespoke approach.