It is a little-know fact that violinist, musicologist and conductor Lipót Auer – or Leopold (von) Auer, as he is known internationally – was born in Veszprém to Jewish parents in 1845.
In 2011, the Municipality of Veszprém installed a bronze memorial plaque of the internationally famed artist and professor on the wall of the house where Lipót Auer spent his childhood. He himself said of his origins, “...My cradle was rocked in Hungary. The small settlement where my father worked as a painter and decorator is called Veszprém. I was brought up with a milk bottle and a violin according to the traditions of my homeland...”
As a child, Lipót Auer began his violin studies with Lipót Leidl, first violinist of the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Veszprém, later continuing his studies in Budapest and at the Vienna Conservatory. At the age of twenty-seven, he was already playing solo violin for the Russian Tsarist Ballet, later working as teacher at the St Petersburg Conservatory. He is credited with the development of the world-renowned “Russian violin school” and his method served as the foundation for the success of many notable Russian violinists for over a century. The Auer Festival is held every year in Veszprém in memory of Lipót Auer, featuring every genre of violin, from classical to folk to jazz.
The Municipality of Veszprém recently purchased his birthplace, opening a new chapter in its history from 2022. The building was renovated and given a new purpose, as part of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture Programme. Master violin maker Elemér Sümegi’s workshop was moved here and violin music once again suffused the building’s walls and courtyard, which was also furnished with a small outdoor stage. Other new additions to the building include an exhibition space and two apartments, which will serve as accommodations for artists during the European Capital of Culture 2023 events, and as social and service housing after 2023.
