The Southern Hall was a historic site of the birth of Budapest, where in 1873 the unification of the three cities—Buda, Pest, and Óbuda—was decided. The inaugural meeting of the new municipal assembly was held here, during which Károly Ráth was elected as the first Mayor of the capital.

Since then, November 17 has been celebrated as the official birthday of Budapest. On this ceremonial occasion, Ferenc Liszt’s oratorio Christus was performed. On the 50th anniversary in 1923, Zoltán Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus was premiered under the direction of Ernő Dohnányi.