Budapest, this twin city located on the banks of the Blue Bonau River, has always been one of the most important travel destinations in Europe. A variety of European-style ancient buildings, a large number of art and cultural museums, exquisite hot springs, as well as delicious food and fine wine, attract tourists from all over the world. However, after going through domestic travel guides, the famous Ruin Pubs in Budapest are rarely mentioned. In this article, let’s talk about this travel calling card of Budapest that is not well-known to most Chinese people.
Ruin Pubs, known as “Romkocsma” in the local Hungarian language, refer to a group of trendy bars set up in dilapidated houses in the 7th District of Budapest. Historically, the 7th District of Hungary was an important Jewish settlement in Budapest. After World War II, this place, like many other Jewish settlements in European cities, experienced a history of decline and decay. Many buildings and shops were abandoned and gradually turned into neglected ruins. Since the establishment of the first ruin bar, Szimpla Kert, in 2001, ruin bars have sprung up like mushrooms in these dilapidated and dangerous houses and gradually become a golden signboard of Budapest’s nightlife, attracting trendy young people from all over the world to experience it. The 7th District of Budapest has transformed from a dilapidated shantytown slum into a gathering place for all kinds of high-end coffee shops and restaurants, and it is also the favorite destination for the city’s trendsetters and young bourgeoisie.
Most of these ruined bars look very low-key from the outside. Some don’t even have obvious signs. During the day, they are no different from the surrounding civilian houses. However, at night, as you walk along the winding streets of District 7, if you see a burly security guard at the entrance of an old house and a large number of young men and women with good looks coming in and out, then this house is very likely to be a ruined bar.
Only when you step inside will you discover a whole new world, which can’t help but give you the illusion of traveling through time and space. Although each ruined bar has its own unique features, they all share the same DNA. First of all, these dilapidated houses have not been restored just because they were converted into bars. The bar operators have ensured the original appearance of these dilapidated and dangerous houses to the greatest extent. Secondly, most of these bars have garden areas decorated with green plants or artificial green plants, which is called “Kert” in Hungarian, creating an atmosphere of being in a mysterious garden. In addition, most bars are filled with all kinds of antique furniture, handicrafts and some other discarded items found in flea markets. There are also various murals and graffiti on the walls. All of this reflects the taste of the bar owner and the unique character of each bar.
Next, I will focus on introducing several representative ruins bars:
- Szimpla Kert
Szimpla Kert is undoubtedly the pioneer of Ruin bars, and it is precisely this Ruin Pub craze that has sparked this trend in Budapest. Since its opening in 2001 until today, it remains one of the most famous and popular bars in District 7. After being included in famous travel guides such as Lonely Planet, it has become a must-visit tourist attraction for many tourists.
Szimpla Kert was formerly an abandoned workshop. As soon as you enter, there is an arched corridor. On both sides of the corridor are some small rooms stuffed with all kinds of abandoned computer monitors and keyboards. At the end of the corridor is an open-air garden. Here, you can reach the second floor via a narrow staircase that can only accommodate one person at a time. In the corner of the upstairs space, there are various recycled old furniture items, such as seats made from second-hand bathtubs. In addition, an open-air food court has been set up next to the bar, where you can buy delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, and the Hungarian specialty Langos. Nowadays, the probability of seeing local people from Budapest at Szimpla Kert is very low. Instead, there are tourists from all over the world who come for fame. Therefore, it is gradually being looked down upon by some trendsetters who pursue individuality. However, I think it is still well worth a visit as the pioneer leading the Ruin Pubs trend.
- FogasHaz
Compared with Szimpla Kert, FogasHaz is much younger. Before opening in 2010, this house was a place where many drug addicts gathered to take drugs. After renovation, it has become one of the trendiest ruin bars in Budapest. Because a dentist’s sign was found in the House during the renovation process, locals also call it “House of Teeth”.
FogazHaz consists of two parts. After passing through the gate, you will first enter a spacious courtyard. There are many small trees above and around the courtyard, with green branches extending towards the center. There is a bar, seats, and the volume of the music is slightly lower. Therefore, this place is usually also a place for people to drink and socialize. Passing through a small door on the left side of the entrance, you will arrive at a completely different space. Here is a house in the shape of a courtyard, somewhat resembling the structure of prisons we often see in foreign movies. The spacious area in the middle of the courtyard forms a huge dance floor. Here you can see a large number of young Hungarians with high looks dancing gracefully to the energetic electronic music and brilliant lights. I really like the dynamic and static dual structure of FogazHaz. It is now also one of the most popular ruin bars in Budapest.
- Instant
Instant is located in the 6th District of Budapest. It was transformed from an entire residential building and features 26 different rooms, 7 bars, 2 gardens and 7 dance floors. It is currently the largest ruin bar in Budapest. Its slogan is: “Everyone can find their own place here.” Indeed, with such a vast space, diverse decorations and music styles, no matter how picky your taste is, it’s very easy to be satisfied.
In addition, many of the murals and interior decorations in the bar are in an animal style. Coupled with its maze-like structure, being in it gives people a magical experience as if Alice were wandering in Wonderland. If you are going with friends, be sure to set a meeting place; otherwise, it will be very easy to lose sight of each other.
- Durer kert
Durer kert is located in the 14th district of Budapest. Its predecessor was a teaching building of a university. Naturally, many of the customers here are also local college students in Budapest. Besides drinking and chatting, people can also play table tennis, table football, darts and the French characteristic steel ball throwing game petanque. In the open-air courtyard outside, there are occasional live concerts and open-air movies. Many excellent indie rock bands have performed here.
5.Grandio
Grandio is not merely a ruin bar; it is also a youth hostel. If your purpose of coming to Budapest is to experience its nightlife, Grandio might be a good accommodation choice. Its architectural structure is very much like a quadrangle courtyard, with guest rooms on all sides and some small trees and strange sculptures scattered in the middle courtyard. Because this bar closes relatively early, many pub crawls choose it as their first destination. It is a great place to make friends with other international travelers.
So, next time you visit Budapest, while visiting museums and soaking in hot springs during the day, you might as well take advantage of the evening to experience the city’s characteristic ruins bar and the locals’ authentic nightlife. I’m sure it will make your trip to Budapest even more unforgettable.