The section of Thököly út between Keleti and Reiner Frigyes Park is, in my opinion, one of the most depressing areas in Budapest (if you go further you will find nice villas such as Thököly út 61). The deteriorating facades are darkened by pollution, and there are numerous stores and pubs that closed long ago. However, as is often the case in Budapest, even the less appealing facades conceal hidden gems behind them! Such beauty can be found at Thököly út 10, which has a stunning courtyard.

During the interwar period, this house served as the first step towards emigration to the United States for thousands of Hungarians. Until 1933, it housed the office of the Holland America Line. This company’s ships transported millions of Europeans to the United States and Canada, including many Hungarians. The Holland America Line, founded in 1870 in the Netherlands, still operates today, having been acquired in 1989 by a British-American cruise operator headquartered in Seattle.

Interestingly, this part of Budapest was a pivotal center for emigration to the Americas. Other transatlantic lines also had their offices here, such as the Red Star Line, American Line, and The Oceanic Star Line at Baross tér 15, as well as the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique at Baross tér 6.

In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that there were approximately 1.396 million Americans with Hungarian heritage. Nevertheless, the overall count of individuals with an ethnic Hungarian background is thought to be roughly 4 million.