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Hungary’s first opera house, and still the only one to be built in the country, was inaugurated after almost 15 years under construction on 27 September 1884. Only Hungarian artisans were allowed to work on its con - struction, using Hungarian technology and Hungarian materials – with a few exceptions – according to the patriotic regulations of the Board of Public Works of the Capital City. Miklós Ybl’s Neo-Renaissance building im - mediately became a landmark of Budapest and is still the second most visited and the most important representa - tive public building after the Parliament. At the time of its closure in June 2017, its auditorium had a capacity of 1236 and the venue ranked among the world’s top opera houses. The largest secco in Hungary can be seen here: Károly Lotz painted The apotheosis of Music in a painting with a perimeter of 45 metres on the ceiling, with excel - lent Hungarian artists simultaneously working in other rooms, including Bertalan Székely, Mór Than, Árpád Feszty and György Vastagh. The most famous guest singer was Enrico Caruso and several world premieres of Hungarian works were staged inside these historic walls (Bluebeard’s Castle, Háry János, The Spinning Room, The Wooden Prince, King Pomade’s New Clothes, Blood Wedding, C’est la guerre, and Mario and the Magician). The Opera House was last refurbished between 1980 and 1984. Scheduled work to modernise the building began in summer 2017. In addition to general restora - tion work, all the stage machinery and mechanical and electrical systems were replaced, several rooms were given new functions, the acoustics was improved, the historical layout of the stalls was restored, and the or - chestra pit expanded. In addition, smart seats improve audience comfort, low-voltage wiring was installed, and the limestone façade as well as the roof structure were renewed. The reopening of the Ybl Palace took place in March 2022, and with the restored standing places, the audito - rium can welcome a thousand visitors.