I explored this house located at Kartács utca 13 for the first time in April 2022 and revisited it in December 2023. I don’t often venture into this part of Budapest, but this house is evidence that I should do so more frequently! Conducting a brief investigation into its history, I uncovered some interesting (and tragic) stories.

In October 1923, the Népszava newspaper reported that an 11-year-old boy named Pál Hagymási slid down the railing of this staircase, and his game ended tragically as he fell and lost his life.

In May 1933, several newspapers covered a story where the police discovered a clandestine communist print in one of the apartments. The print was led by a 24-year-old graphic artist named Mihály Szőlősy, and nine other communist militants were arrested following a police raid.

Interestingly, the Az Est newspaper reported that the police found a suitcase full of communist leaflets in the apartment of József Fodor, a journalist working for the Nemzet Szava (Voice of the Nation), the official newspaper of the Hungarian National Socialist Party. However, the police quickly determined that the suitcase was hidden in his flat by Endre Donát, his brother-in-law.

From the service stairs of Kartács utca 13, the abandoned courtyard of Üteg utca 7 (previously Üteg utca 9) is visible. When I examined this building on Google Street View, I noticed that in 2009, the remains of an old hand-painted sign were still visible. Unfortunately, the facade has since been painted over, and the sign has disappeared. This ghost sign belonged to the workshop of Gyula Schillinger, who specialized in making custom car bodies. You can find more photos and information on this website.