Budapest is a prime site for dreams: the East’s exuberant vision of the West, the West’s uneasy hallucination of the East.
M. John Harrison
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Pest saw a boom in its Jewish population. Unlike some other European cities, there was little anti-Semitism as the Hungarian aristocracy recognised the role that Jews could play in helping to modernise what had been a largely feudal country.
Of course this all changed in 1944 when the German army invaded Hungary. Although Hungary was a German ally, Nazi Germany worried that the country might switch sides as they were losing the war. In the winter of 1944, German and Hungarian Nazis relocated 70,000 Jewish people into the Jewish Quarter, which was turned into a walled-off ghetto. Thousands died there of famine and starvation. However, unlike rural Hungary, Budapest’s Jews were spared mass deportations to Auschwitz as in January 1945 the Soviet army liberated the ghetto.
Jewish Quarter sights
As I mentioned in my previous post about Budapest, we spent much of our time in the city exploring lively Pest. One morning was spent wandering the city’s Jewish Quarter. This had declined in the decades following the war as residents moved out to the suburbs, or fled Communist Hungary completely. But in the early 2000s it underwent a revival, with the famous ruin bars springing up in courtyards of buildings slated for demolition and a mixed community moving into the area to open shops and restaurants, create art or simply to live.
Please join me for this Monday Walk.
Our wanderings
We didn’t follow a very planned route through the quarter but instead zigzagged up and down its streets. However we made a point of taking a few sights, starting with the sculpture that commemorates Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who saved many Jews during the Holocaust. The memorial was erected in 1991 and shows Lutz, in the form of an angel, descending to rescue a fallen victim.
The Carl Lutz Memorial
I was on the lookout for street art and found some great murals, including one dedicated to Rubik (inventor of the eponymous cube) and another depicting the famous 1953 victory of Hungary over England – thanks for rubbing it in guys!
Jewish Quarter street art
It was too early in the day to visit one of the famous ruin bars unfortunately, but we did peer into the courtyard of the most famous of all, Szimpla. Almost next door we found a great street food market tucked in among some buildings where we enjoyed a beer in the by-now hot sun.
Szimpla Ruin Bar and street art in the food market
Synagogues
We didn’t go inside any of the three synagogues in the quarter but did pass a couple of them. The reason there are three in such close proximity is that the Hungarian Jewish community split into three in 1869 due to differences of opinion as to how far they should go in assimilating into broader Hungarian society. The Kazinczy Synagogue was built by the city’s orthodox Jews in 1912-13, when they split from the more progressive groups. And the Rumbach Street Synagogue was built in 1872 by the moderately orthodox Jewish community. They were more liberal than those who worshipped in the Kazinczy Synagogue but considered the alternative, the 1850s built Dohány Synagogue, too progressive. While the Dohány and Kazinczy synagogues are still active, the Rumbach Street one is no longer so and today serves as a museum but with very limited opening hours.
Kazinczy Synagogue on the left and Rumbach Street on the right
Trash Art
We continued our wanderings towards the Trash Art Museum, a small but quirky museum in a basement which displays sculptures created from old car parts and other metal objects. We had fun checking them out and taking photos of our favourites.
In the Trash Art Museum
Around the Central Market
After spending some time in the Jewish Quarter, and conscious this was our last day in the city and there was more to see elsewhere, we took the Metro to the stop near the Central Market Hall. We had a stroll through the market, which has a mix of stalls aimed at locals and others very tourist-focused. I took a few photos, but we didn’t buy anything.
The Central Market Hall – spot Trump and Putin among the Russian dolls!
We then walked along the river bank, heading south from the Liberty Bridge, until we reached an area we’d spotted from the boat yesterday, with a row of inviting bars. The first one we came to, Esetleg, had a table in partial shade, welcome now the sun was pretty hot. We relaxed here over our drinks for a while, soaking up the atmosphere and the views.
Liberty Bridge and Bálna
We finished today’s explorations with a quick look inside the modern glass building known as Bálna (‘whale’) which houses a convention centre, bars and restaurants. The exterior had struck us when we had seen it on the previous day from our river cruise, but the interior was rather empty and disappointing.
I visited Budapest in April 2026
30 Comments
margaret21
Despite the difficult history you began your post with, you seem to have found the colourful and exhuberant side of the city.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s true – like many cities Budapest has succeeded in revitalising areas with difficult pasts and bringing life and colour back to them. Thanks Margaret 🙂
Image Earth Travel
I enjoyed this walk through Budapest, which brought back memories of when I was there in 2009 (wow, that long ago!).
Too many cool art photos to choose from in this post, as I like all of them.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nilla 😊 I imagine the city has changed a bit since you were there, especially this part of it.
Teresa
I know of many people who don’t like Budapest because it is a bit rough. But it is one of my favourites. You showed me why I like it so much. Thanks for taking me back there Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
I can see that people might find parts of this area a little rough, though we were comfortable here, but the other areas we explored certainly weren’t 🙂 Glad you enjoyed revisiting with me – thank you Teresa 😀
bushboy
Wonderful street art and great finds Sarah. Thanks for taking me along
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Brian 🙂 I really enjoyed finding all the street art here!
Yvonne Dumsday
Thanks for sharing your trip. Ow Buda and Pest are both on my Bucket List.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Yvonne – I think you’d enjoy Budapest 🙂
Heyjude
Another fascinating wander with you. But what are ruin bars?
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jude 😊 And apologies, I could have explained that. They’re pretty much what it says on the tin – bars set up in the ruins of derelict buildings in this district. They’re a famous part of Budapest nightlife and although we thought we are a tad old to have fitted in at night we did have in mind to go for a lunchtime drink, only to find that the one we checked out didn’t open until 3.00 PM.
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
I missed the Carl Lutz memorial – it looks interesting.
Sarah Wilkie
It was, although hard to do justice to in my photos because the two elements are so far apart.
EgÃdio
The murals and architecture are amazing. I also liked the Trash Museum. What a way to recycle! The memorial was very touching.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio 🙂 I’m glad you liked the memorial and also the Trash Museum – they don’t seem to be to everyone’s taste but we had fun at the museum and I found the memorial moving.
Rebecca
Thanks for sharing Jewish history in Budapest with us, Sarah. It’s a fascinating one, and it’s incredible to see how the Jewish Quarter has transformed since the darkest of times. I only passed through the area when I was last in Budapest, but I did see the colorful murals and did peek inside Dohány Synagogue. I’d love to return and see more of this part of the city, especially with my partner, who’s Jewish. I appreciate the post!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Rebecca, I’m really pleased you found this history so interesting 🙂 This area of Budapest is definitely worth spending time in!
Sue
Absolutely fascinating wander, Sarah. The ruin bars appeared on the scene after we were there. Most intrigued to see your images… if you have any more, perhaps they can be in another post. The Trash Art Museum looks a fun place, though I did find that first sculpture rather disturbing. All in all a good mornings wander
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Sue 😊 I’m so glad you enjoyed your wander! I think I’m about done with Budapest for now, though no doubts photos from there will surface in challenges from time to time.
Anne Sandler
Sarah, thanks for introducing me to Hungary. My father’s family was from there, but I don’t know which generation immigrated.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m glad to have been able to show you a little bit of the country, thanks Anne 🙂
restlessjo
Art can take so many forms these days, can’t it, Sarah? I thought that first sculpture a little odd, liked the Sinners , the Trash stuff not so much, though it’s clever. I do like visiting synagogues and you should find a few in Poland. I’m back in Kraków next May for a wedding and already looking forward to it. Budapest is still on my list, but not urgently so. Thanks for sharing xx
Sarah Wilkie
That sculpture looked better ‘in real life’ than in a flat photo – it was hard to capture the dynamism. I didn’t think the Trash Museum would be your sort of thing, but we rather admired the cleverness of creating art from what would otherwise have been rubbish!
restlessjo
It’s far better than having it littering the streets and beaches xx
Monkey's Tale
We just returned from southern Poland where the deeply Catholic country also had a surprisingly large Jewish population from the Middle Ages to the WWII. It looks like Budapest has done a great job of revitalizing their Jewish ghetto with a lot of different businesses and art to attract people. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
I’ll be interested to read about your Poland trip Maggie – I’ve been to Krakow but nowhere else in the country.
Monkey's Tale
Richard is from Poland, so he took me to places I would never have known existed.
ThingsHelenLoves
A wonderful wander. I do like the wooden nesting dolls, I wonder how many Putin or Trump dolls are actually sold? Can’t say it’s something I’d take home!
Sarah Wilkie
I wondered that! Maybe they’re designed to make people stop and look, in the hope that they’ll buy one of the others? If so, it didn’t work on us! Glad you enjoyed the wander, thank you Helen 🙂