The Wenckheim Palace in Budapest: Library and Historic Urban Mansion

The Wenckheim Palace was built in 1887 by Count Frigyes Wenckheim, in a neo-Baroque style with neo-Renaissance elements. Wenckheim, who was a wealthy aristocrat, built the palace to have a place to stay when the family visited Budapest. During his visits, he hosted several charity events in the palace with his wife. After their death, the city bought the building. Since 1931, it functions as one of Budapest’s largest libraries. The grandest ballroom has a magnificent chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and elegant gold-motif decoration on the white walls. In another room there are huge mirrors among the grand windows. There is a beautiful wood-panelled library room, at least a hundred years old, with two well-furnished wooden spiral staircases. Another room has a real historic European feel with its stylish red and white striped wallpaper and gold ornamentation. There is a monumental staircase leading to these rooms from the large wrought iron gates at the entrance.

Ballroom with chandeliers, tall mirrors and elegant seating inside Wenckheim Palace. — The Wenckheim Palace was built in 1887 by Count Wenckheim, a wealthy aristocrat

Library room with dark wood, spiral staircase and chandeliers inside Wenckheim Palace. — Ever since the city bought the building from its owner in 1931, it has functioned as one of Budapest’s largest libraries

Reading room with golden walls, chandeliers and wooden desks in Wenckheim Palace. — This unique room was the location of a TV commercial with the Norwegian chess genius Magnus Carlsen

Ornate interior doorway with gold detailing and view into the library at Wenckheim Palace. — The 1972 Richard Burton movie, Bluebeard was mostly filmed in this building

Decorative wrought-iron gate and arched entrance at Wenckheim Palace. — The palace is right in the heart of Budapest

Grand staircase with red carpet and ornate stone balustrades inside Wenckheim Palace. — Progressive Productions also produced a fashion campaign photo shoot in the Palace where it doubled as a university campus building

The 1972 Richard Burton movie Bluebeard was mostly filmed here. The outside of the palace has also been featured in many films, such as the 2011 romantic comedy Monte Carlo and Adrien Brody’s Houdini. In 2014, a TV series called Flemming shot scenes here that were set in London during the Second World War. Then, a year later, the comedy starring Jude Law, Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham called Spy used the palace to double as a Parisian location. In the years after, the fantasy TV series called Emerald City starring Adria Arjona and Oliver Jackson-Cohen used this location for a princess’s bedroom. In 2018, the palace doubled as Cold War-era Russian headquarters in the blockbuster Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons. In the same year, interior scenes were shot here for the TV series The Alienist, which was set in 1890s New York. Progressive Productions also produced a Louis Philippe campaign photo shoot and an episode of ABC’s The Bachelor, both of which took place in the palace.