Art
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Nádor utca 36: The House of the Rimamurány-Salgótarján Steelworks
Nádor utca 36 is a building located nearby the Parliament. It was designed by Artúr Meinig and built in 1901 for the Rimamurányi-Salgótarjáni Vasmű Rt. (Rimamurány-Salgótarján Steelworks), a huge company responsible for steel production in northern Hungary. The company, often nicknamed “Rima” had its headquarters in this building and rented out the rest. The name…
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Andrássy út 2: the Foncière-palace
At the corner of Andrássy út and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út stands the “Foncière-palota.” Adolf Feszty, a prominent architect in 19th century Budapest, designed the building in 1882 for the French Foncière Insurance company. Feszty, known for his contributions to the city’s architectural landscape, also designed the Haris-bazár (since demolished) and several mansions along the then-developing Sugár…
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Frankel Leó út 11: Where Neo-Renaissance meets Art Nouveau
Frankel út 11 is an apartment house with two distinct facades: one facing Frankel Leó út (where the entrance is situated) and the other facing Lipthay utca. The two sides of this narrow building are quite different. The facade on Lipthay utca is an interesting blend of neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau elements. Designed by the…
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József körút 21: The Vanishing Boot Scrapers of Budapest
In January 2024, I spotted a small sphinx guarding the entrance of an old apartment building from 1887 on József körút. It’s the last piece of what used to be a pair of boot scrapers, likely installed when the building was finished. Looking into its history, I learned that when the Budapest100 team visited in…
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Dohány utca 22: The Árkád Bazár
I took these photos at Dohány utca 22, an Art Nouveau building known as the “Árkád Bazár,” once home to the Késmárky and Illés toy store. In prewar Budapest, children dreamed of shopping here, as the first floors housed the city’s largest toy store, while apartments occupied the top floors. Designed by brothers László and…
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Székely Mihály utca 12: Second-Hand Stores and Stabbing in Terézváros
This old house is located at Székely Mihály utca 12. Prior to the war, this narrow street, then known as Kazár utca in Terézváros, the 6th district of Budapest, was bustling with second-hand stores selling clothing once owned by affluent individuals. Many of these shops were owned by Jews, with synagogues of Erzsébetváros nearby and…
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Csengery utca 80: A Decaying Treasure in Terézváros
Csengery utca 80, an old apartment building dating back to 1890 and designed by Sándor Sterk, is one of those timeless structures that evoke a bygone era. Interestingly, I stumbled upon an old information sheet hanging on the wall, featuring pre-1990 street names such as Lenin körút (Lenin Boulevard, now Teréz and Erzsébet Boulevards), Majakovszkij…
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Balázs Béla utca 27/b : A Vanishing Old House in Budapest’s 9th District
Back in January 2022, I posted on my Facebook page about an old building located at Balázs Béla utca 27./b in Budapest’s 9th district. At the time, I was curious about the fate of this apartment house, given the recent demolition of many old buildings in this deprived area of Budapest. In June of the…
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Krúdy utca 2 : Art Nouveau & Contemporary Art
The house located at Krúdy Gyula utca 2, a small street of Józsefváros, boasts an exemplary piece of art nouveau architecture by Antal Hofhauser, completed in 1906-1907. François (Ferenc) Fiedler, a French painter of Hungarian descent, resided here from 1941 to 1945 before his move to Paris. Fiedler’s artistic journey began at a tender age,…
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Orczy út 27: Jakab Grünfeld’s Distillery
This house, situated at the intersection of Orczy út and Sárkány utca (specifically Orczy út 27), was once owned by the Grünfeld family, renowned for their success in the production and distribution of various alcoholic beverages such as pálinka, rum, and liquors. Jakab Grünfeld, the patriarch, operated a distillery and a tavern on this site.…
Buildings Tell Tales 