<p>The world-famous operetta composer was born on 24 October, 1882 in Si&oacute;fok. His birthplace is on the promenade named after him. This is from where he began his journey to international fame, to give pleasant moments to people all around the world through his truly Hungarian-style melodies, also contributing to the reputation of his hometown, Si&oacute;fok.<br /><br />For the 105th anniversary of Emmerich Kalman&rsquo;s birth, a memorial exhibition was opened in Si&oacute;fok on 22 October, 1987, in his ancestral home.<br /><br />When visitors enter the building, they are touched by the ambience of the period, Si&oacute;fok in the past century. The old postcards are placed on the wall of the hallway quite deliberately, as Si&oacute;fok just started becoming a popular bathing destination at the time when Emmerich Kalman had been born.<br /><br />The exhibition in the ground-floor rooms of the house present Emmerich Kalman, the man, major stages in his career and some interesting events in his private life. The exhibition also covers the years spent away from Si&oacute;fok, mostly abroad. It also reveals that the composer never broke his links to his homeland and hometown, even at the pinnacle of his success.<br /><br />Several items and documents of particular value have been added to the exhibition in the past quarter of a century.<br /><br />That was possible thanks to the composer&rsquo;s widow, Vera K&aacute;lm&aacute;n (1910-1999), the two living children (Yvonne, Charles) and the relatives in Hungary.<br /><br />Some interesting items: the master composer&rsquo;s piano, the chair where he sat when writing his first operetta, original sheet music, an upright piano (used for the completion of his last operetta, Arizona Lady).<br />A special attraction of the the exhibition is that while the interiors recall the ambiance of the previous century, hidden speakers play melodies by Kalman.<br /><br />That concept makes the presentation of the life and works of the operetta king complete.<br />The upper floor of the Emmerich Kalman Memorial Home functions as a gallery. Visitors can view temporary exhibitions with works of art by Hungarian artists.</p>