The Museum of Ethnography, realized within the framework of the Liget Budapest Project, was named the world’s best public building on 30 May in Singapore, announced Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Ltd, following the acceptance of the award.

According to a statement from Városliget Ltd, the museum, designed by Marcel Ferencz, received a gold medal at the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious international real estate developer awards. Another notable project within the Liget Budapest Project, the House of Music Hungary, designed by Japanese star architect Sou Fujimoto, also received an award at the FIABCI international ceremony, making these two buildings in the City Park recognized as the world’s best public buildings.

The international jury praised the two institutions for their sustainability, aesthetics, and visitor experience, rendering them the most awarded buildings in Hungary.

Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Ltd, responsible for the implementation of the Liget Budapest Project, stated: ‘The two extraordinary buildings have become globally visible landmarks and new symbols of Budapest and Hungary. The prestigious awards and the fact that the visitor numbers for both buildings have far exceeded our expectations confirm this. Besides winning the architectural Oscars and Nobel Prizes, the Ethnographic Museum’s participation at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale further underlines its high standards.’

The International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), founded in 1951 and operating in over 60 countries, annually organizes the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence, aiming to acknowledge the most successful real estate developments. Established 30 years ago, the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence is the most prestigious real estate competition globally, with developers from five continents and 37 countries having been awarded so far. The international jury included 63 esteemed professionals from 31 countries, representing various specialised sectors of real estate development.

The design competition for the Ethnographic Museum was announced in 2016. From a world-class field, the international jury unanimously selected the winning design by the Hungarian firm NAPUR Architect, led by Marcel Ferencz. Opened in May 2022, the Museum of Ethnography features interactive exhibitions, an impressive Ceramics Hall displaying around 4,000 artefacts, and the Liget Budapest Visitor Centre, which includes a giant model showcasing Budapest’s golden age. Its 7,000 square metre rooftop garden has become one of Budapest’s popular meeting spots.

The museum will gain a new attraction this autumn: a new permanent exhibition showcasing the institution’s unparalleled collection.

Opening in September, the over 3,000 square metre exhibition space will feature nearly 3,000 artefacts. To accommodate this, the museum will close at the end of June and reopen in early autumn with the new exhibition and renovated spaces.

The Museum of Ethnography captured the world’s attention already following the announcement of its design competition results. At the 2018 London International Property Awards, the plans were awarded the title of the world’s best public building and the Best Architecture grand prize. In 2022, it received the top prize in the cultural category at the prestigious Swiss Built Design Awards, first place in the cultural category at the Chinese Idea-Tops Awards, the category first at the London International Creative Competition, and the ‘Excellent Architecture’ recognition at the German Design Awards. The Dutch Archello Awards and the Italian Inside Quality Design Awards also named it one of the best projects of 2022.

An outstanding recognition came in 2023 when the Museum of Ethnography was included in the World’s Greatest Places collection by the American Time Magazine, influencing the travel decisions of millions of its readers. The museum also won the Paris Design Award and the International Architecture Award that year, and was named the best in the ‘museum architecture’ and ‘architecture and façade’ categories at the ARCHITIZER A+ AWARDS.

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