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Budapest is well on the way to becoming Central Europe’s premier destination for contemporary architecture, with projects such as ONL’s Bálna Budapest recently completed and SANAA’s National Gallery of Hungary due to arrive before the end of the decade. However, the ornate façades of older buildings along the River Danube remain one of the region’s greatest assets, and these are celebrated in all their decadent glory by local photographer Zsolt Hlinka.
In a series entitled “Urban Symmetry,” Hlinka subtly manipulates his architectural subjects, showing reflected visions to emphasize each elevation’s distinctive character and intricate detailing. The photographer also edits out the context of every image, setting the buildings against plain backgrounds that transform each façade into an architectural portrait to be studied in isolation.
The resulting images look like something straight from a movie poster for Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel,” with every window, cornice and roofing detail a miniature artwork in its own right. “These fictitious buildings coming into existence perfectly grab and condense their original character into themselves,” says Hlinka, “as if you could see human faces and different personalities on the building portraits.”
For more great architectural photography, explore the fading postmodern monuments of Paris captured by Laurent Kronental and the brutalist ruins of Casa Sperimentale in Rome by Oliver Astrologo.
Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.