Street name and house number plates serve as fascinating guardians of Budapest’s eventful history. The city has undergone numerous regime changes, leading to the renaming of streets multiple times. However, plates retaining the old street names can still be found.
Many plates showcase the old spelling of the Hungarian word for ‘street,’ written as ‘ucca’ or ‘utcza.’ These archaic spellings were prevalent before 1940, and it’s truly remarkable to spot such antique plates on Budapest’s walls. I’ve also come across plates with spelling errors, like ‘Kossuth’ written as ‘Kosút.’
These vintage plates not only serve as remarkable remnants of the past but also hold aesthetic value. It’s worth keeping an eye out for them when exploring the Hungarian capital.
An old house number sign on Szabács utca in Budapest, displaying the designation ‘7th district.’ This detail indicates that the sign is older than 1935 when the upper part of the 7th district and 6th district became Zugló, the 14th district of Budapest.
“Karl Marx Street” pre-1989 sign on Grassalkovich utca in Soroksár. This part of Budapest was part of the XXth district until 1994 when it became the 23rd district of Budapest.
Old house number plate in Csillaghegy, Budapest. Lajos Kossuth’s name is misspelled, and “street,” in Hungarian “utca,” is written as “ucca,” which is an old spelling not used since the 1940s.
Buildings Tell Tales 
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