The year is 2005. In the centre of Budapest, a group of young people from different European countries bustle around looking for Kazinci Street. The region is in the heart of the city, the 7th district, dotted with beautiful Art Nouveau buildings and close to the main landmarks, but everything is plunged into darkness and oppressive ruin.
The youths are engaged in something of a 'treasure hunt' - word has reached them of an unusual, unconventional and very interesting bar.
After much wandering, they find themselves in front of a gloomy grey facade from 100 years ago and, with a slightly shrunken heart, dive into the dim light of the once welcoming residential entrance. The next moment, an astonishing sight unfolds before their eyes. Behind the solid façade stands a dilapidated building that looks as if someone has pressed a giant pause button. The former small apartment building still retains the outline of its former rooms, the three-meter high ceilings, but everything has been transformed into one giant open space, now turned into a bar. Crossing the threshold through the solid exterior façade is like stepping off the Hogwarts Express* and into a new magical world.
More surprises await them in the semi-darkness of this amazing place. The youngsters recognise tables, chairs, old sofas, chests of drawers, children's toys, all sorts of everyday objects, collected as if from a huge warehouse. And all this, transformed into a bar interior. An eclectic atmosphere, with an unforgettable effect. Nobody then and still nobody guessed - but in this bar a new model for the use of urban space and its history was born.
A leap forward in time - 14 years. The same street - a completely different picture. "Kazinci is now brightly lit and crowds of travellers sway along it and neighbouring streets. They're either dragging suitcases and backpacks to one of the hundreds of AirBnBs in the neighbourhood, or just having a beer in one of the now numerous Ruin pubs.
The place the group of youngsters visited so many years ago is turning out to be a goldmine for attracting tourists to the city. Not only did the bar gain cult status as a "must-visit place", but it also started a whole new trend in the city - hipster tourism. The most amazing thing about this fashion is the fact that enterprising and imaginative Hungarians manage to make the most of their past and transform old and dilapidated places and unusable-looking objects into stylish contemporary spaces with a pop art, retro or boho spirit.
An additional stimulus for the boom in hipster tourism is the boom in so-called short-term rentals, which currently benefit around 11,000 houses and apartments in Budapest (according to data from AirBnB).
But what exactly are the Hungarians doing? Where lies the key to their success? What lessons can we draw from their experience?
Let's start with a look from above.
The architectural mosaic of a city
The Hungarian capital is rightly proud of its architecture. There are more than one or two notable buildings, from the neo-Gothic Parliament towering on the banks of the Danube to the neo-Renaissance mansions along Andrássy Avenue, a UNESCO protected cultural site. The Basilica of St. The list of significant public sites in Budapest could go on and on.
But in fact it is not only the public buildings that deserve attention. The architectural styles of the last 250 to 300 years have also left their mark on residential buildings. The baroque facades in Obuda, the Bauhaus houses in the Pascharet district, the variety of styles in Pest, even the "classical socialist" blocks in the city's more extreme districts - they all make up a curious architectural puzzle - a three-dimensional chronology of the city's history.
Budapest is proud of every stage of its development. Like a masterpiece oil painting, the beauty of the city is only visible after the accumulation of the different layers and colours - in this case buildings, streets and open urban spaces. Respect for the created past, regardless of its aesthetic value from a present perspective, is key to understanding the ability of Hungarians to preserve their historical memory.
Laws, laws, laws
Along with Paris, Athens and Rome, Budapest is the fourth capital city in Europe with a building height limit. This limit is set at 96 metres - the exact height of the Parliament building and St. Peter's Basilica. Stefan, completed in 1904 and 1905. More than a hundred years later, this law remains unchanged and is strictly enforced. That is why even now, seen from above, Budapest looks compact, tight and somewhat frozen in time. For the city's rulers and inhabitants, it is clear that in order to preserve the spirit of their capital, they must also do their utmost to preserve its 'body'.
Apart from the law on the height of buildings, there are several initiatives dealing with the reconstruction of various sites. The largest is the Imre Szindl programme, named after the most important Hungarian architect of the 20th century. It has been in existence since 2016 and has recently been extended with new projects until 2020 and a budget of more than EUR 15 million. One of the main requirements for the firms involved in the reconstruction is the exact reconstruction of the sites.
Similar requirements apply to the renovation of residential buildings in the city. Budapest is famous for its cooperatives with patios. A special law protects the historical value of these buildings and, although renovations inside are allowed, the facades and common areas themselves, such as staircases and landings, remain unchanged. They can only be cleaned with special technology at the expense of the residents and under the supervision of a committee.
Despite these seemingly strict laws that do not allow building liberties, the residents of the city manage to reconcile their modern needs as well. In the first place, in the 1950s the city began widespread gasification and, as a result, even buildings almost 200 years old are now equipped with modern gas heating and kitchen appliances. In the last 20 years, air-conditioners have been installed en masse and many homes have been converted into offices, restaurants or pubs. Budapest is renewing itself, but without erasing its past.
Creativity and enterprise
It is this idea of a city that is constantly renewing itself but retaining the spirit of the past that is the key to Budapest's tourist success. The strict limits of the law mark the fields of action, but do not restrict creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. In other words, Hungarians know how to turn obstacles into advantages.
For example, rooms with three-metre high ceilings that are uncomfortable from a modern point of view and which are forbidden to be "lowered" en masse are equipped with charming mezzanines. These are wooden structures with a ladder and a platform on which a bed is placed. It saves space, gives additional freedom in the arrangement of the interior and captivates visitors.
Mezzanines are especially popular with owners renting out their homes for short-term rentals, and their creativity is remarkable. In one of them, the bed is placed on top of a bathroom made like a Finnish sauna.
Surprisingly, the most successful idea of recycling the past into a new form comes literally from the garrets. In Budapest, there is the tradition of the so-called lomtalanítás, or in other words, a day on which every resident of the city can leave their unwanted furniture, dishes, decorations and all kinds of belongings on the street. These days are strictly defined depending on the neighbourhood and are organised one, two or more times a year. During this day - everyone is allowed to take whatever they like from the street and what is left is taken away by the cleanliness companies.
And this is where the story of the bar we talked about at the beginning comes in. With a decor made entirely of objects collected from the street or brought in by people who no longer need them, the place becomes an eclectic picture of the past. Here, the lives of thousands of people are collected in the form of unnecessary things. Like any good and (almost) free initiative, this one is gaining popularity fast. Within a few years, dozens of similar establishments sprang up. The fad is growing and extending to living spaces. AirBnB and other platforms allow dozens of people to turn their inherited old apartments into artistic boho-apartments. What's unnecessary for some becomes a treasure for others - recycled possessions are transformed into artistic design embellishments. There are no limits, it's all about ideas and creativity.
Visitors are captivated. A visit to the capital becomes a personal experience with a specific atmosphere. Thus the combination of private initiative, civic responsibility and the legal framework becomes a working idea. And while the process is not always smooth and free of stumbles and missteps, it is clear that with the right attitude, changes in urban space benefit everyone.
The lesson for us?
British writer John Brain says that to love a city, it must love you back. However, the example of Budapest shows that this process is reciprocal. Residents of the Hungarian capital treat their urban environment with respect and responsibility because they have realised that it is their common home and it is up to them to make it cosy and attractive for visitors.
The question is, can we do the same?
Author
Nadia Kafkova is a freelance journalist. She divides her time between Bulgaria, Cyprus and other travels, convinced that only by getting to know different cultures can we understand our differences. She appreciates the small joys in life and attention to detail.
*"The Hogwarts Express - in the Harry Potter novels, the magical train on which the characters travel to wizard school.
Photos:
1. The first ruin-pub in Budapest (Facebook);
2. Facades (free archive)