Budapest Airport to Celebrate its 75th Birthday, with Franz Liszt in the Spotlight

This year’s travel season is still in full swing, but behind the scenes, planning for next year is already in action at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, writes Turizmus.com. In addition to introducing exciting new destinations and developing the airport, preparations are focused on celebrating a very important anniversary: on May 7, 2025, the airport will turn 75 years old.

The story begins in the 1700s. This is when Franz Mayer, a Bavarian brewer, settled in Hungary, and later his son, Ferenc Xavér Mayerffy, rented the hills between Vecsés (town near Budapest) and Rákoshegy (part of Budapest’s 17th district) and planted them with vines. The locals named the area Ferihegy (Feri’s hill, Feri is the nickname of Ferenc) after the successful and sympathetic tenant, and in 1942 the construction of Budapest Airport began there. World War II intervened, however, and the inauguration of the airport was delayed until May 7, 1950.

The center of Hungarian civil aviation was then known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, which will celebrate its 75th birthday next year.

More than half a century after its inauguration, the need arose to give the Hungarian capital’s airport a name that would do justice to the fame of Hungary’s aviation center. In 2011, on the 200th anniversary of the birth of the world-famous Hungarian composer, the Hungarian Parliament decided that Budapest Airport should bear the name of Franz Liszt (Ferenc Liszt).

Just as music and the everlasting masterpieces of the world-famous composer Liszt (a great traveler who visited almost every major European city), travel connects people from all corners of the world.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the gateway to Hungary, Budapest Airport is preparing a series of cultural events in 2025 to commemorate the work of its namesake, Franz Liszt.

Next year will also mark another important anniversary in this respect: the 175th anniversary of one of the composer’s most famous pieces, Liebesträume.

“For VINCI Airports, it has always been important that the airports it operates preserve and represent the unique values and traditions of each country,” noted Francois Berisot, CEO of Budapest Airport. He stressed: “That is why one of the most important focal points of our activities in the coming year, in addition to maintaining high standards and development, will be to celebrate the timeless values, the life’s work of Franz Liszt and the 75th anniversary of the airport, and to celebrate Hungarian culture and aviation.”

Details of the event will be announced by Budapest Airport at a later date.

Via Turizmus.com; Featured image via Facebook/Budapest Airport