I find the facade at 12 Jókai Street in Budapest’s 6th district particularly intriguing. This building, completed in 1912, was designed by architects Izsó Nagy and Gyula Benedict for Szilárd Cziner, a wealthy landowner.

A few years ago, the removal of a grocery store’s signs revealed an old inscription: “Fűszer – Közért – Csemege.” This inscription dates back to the socialist era in Hungary. During that time, “közért” (short for “községi élelmiszer-értékesítő”) referred to state-owned grocery stores, which were part of the centralized economy and provided essential food and household items to the population.

These past months, I’ve been hunting for prewar facades that are out of the ordinary. Some are beautiful, others less so, but all share the distinction of standing out in Budapest’s architectural landscape. You can find them here: unusual facades in Budapest.