Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest

You're standing on Andrássy Avenue, Budapest's grandest boulevard, in front of the Hungarian State Opera House. Look at the symmetrical façade, neo-Renaissance with a touch of Baroque. Architect Miklós Ybl designed it, and it's considered one of his masterpieces. The decoration follows a musical theme. In the niches either side of the main entrance stand two composers, carved by sculptor Alajos Stróbl. One is Franz Liszt, the best-known Hungarian composer. The other is Ferenc Erkel, who wrote the Hungarian national anthem and was the first music director of this house.