For a long time, my Saturdays kicked off at 4 am. I’d travel for about 2 hours to reach Bakancsos utca in the 17th district, home to my favorite flea market. There, I’d spend the morning hunting for old photos, especially ones of old buildings or Budapest street scenes. The “Bakancsos Piac” (Bakancsos Flea Market) was my go-to spot, where I found hidden treasures and scored amazing photos at low prices.

On Sundays, I’d head to the Budai Zsibvásár in the 11th district. Over time, my collection of old photos grew into the thousands. I also kept an eye on online auctions for more finds.

After a while, I decided to focus more on taking my own photos and had to save up for camera gear. I got a bit frustrated with some collectors who kept their finds to themselves instead of sharing the joy of discovery. Two years ago, I decided to give my photos to Fortepan, a community photo archive founded in 2014.

Below, you will see some of the photos I have found during my hunts at the flea markets and online. You can also check out my photos published on Fortepan’s website here.

Photo shot from Gellért hill in 1936. Some of the buildings on this photo where destroyed during the siege of Budapest in 1944/45