Budapest's Endangered Jewish Quarter
Having survived the twin terrors of twentieth-century Budapest, the Nazi occupation and then forty years of communism, the antique buildings and narrow streets of District VII's historic Jewish Quarter are now facing a more modern, but no less destructive, force -- real estate development. Built up in the 19th and 20th centuries as Budapest's Jewish community shared in the economic expansion of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the area contains dozens of beautiful art nouveau structures, many still impressive despite often crumbling facades.
In 1944, when Nazis occupied the city, Adolf Eichmann had the area walled in to create a ghetto, and the city's 70,000 Jews were forced inside. Here they had to live in cramped and inhuman conditions before being deported for concentration camps.
Despite the quarter's historic and cultural importance, the objections of local residents, and its continued attraction for countless visitors, many of its treasured buildings are now slated for destruction. In their rush to slap up low-grade residential and office buildings, international property developers are trying to maximize their returns without regard to the damage they may be causing to the local community. The quarter's schools, markets and other traditional services remain tucked into the streets surrounding the three remarkable synagogues, which gave it the name of Budapest's Jewish Triangle.
There is some hope. In 2004 the activist group Ovás ("Objection") was founded by local residents to oppose the demolitions. So far they've had only modest success, but they've also interested some major players in the issue, including UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. Unfortunately the future of the area and its residents is still an open question, so pay a visit now before it's too late.
Sirály
Király utca 50
VI. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
Owner Adám Schönberger and two friends set up this cafe two years ago in a vacant book store, and it has grown into a happening spot for Budapest's theater, film and … music scenesters. In addition to offering its clientele of young creatives fine food and drink, Sirály (Hungarian for "seagull") provides meeting space for local citizen groups such as Ovás. Stop by and see how the good fight is progressing. [link]
Rumbach Synagogue
Rumbach Sebestyén utca 11
1075 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
This Moorish-style Orthodox Rumbach Synagogue is currently undergoing renovation and will hopefully soon reopen to visitors. It was designed in 1872 by the Vienna … architect Otto Wagner, who also designed parts of the Vienna city railway and founded the Vienna Secession with Gustav Klimt. The synagogue was once used a temporary internment camp for 18,000 Jews of "unclear citizenship." The Hungarian deported them to Ukraine, where they were murdered by the Germans. [link]
Klauzál Söröző Étterem
Klauzál tér 11
1072 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
[link]
Kazinczy Synagogue
Kazinczy utca 29
1075 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
This Orthodox synagogue was built in 1913 in reaction to the Reformed practices at the Dohany Synagogues. Integrated into the street and its surrounding apartment houses, … this art nouveau construction contains a beautifully colored synagogue (still active today) as well as a kosher restaurant. The Coke machine in the courtyard sounds the only discordant note. [link]
Holocaust Memorial Center
Páva utca 39
1094 IX. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Center, just outside the quarter, is necessary to comprehend the fate of the Budapest's Jewish community at the hands of Hungary's … collaborationist regime and the city's later occupation by the Nazis. Over half a million Hungarians died in the Holocaust, most of them at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where every third inmate was Hungarian. [link]
Fröhlich Confectionery
Dob utca 22
1072 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
The area's last kosher sweet shop (a kosher cukrászda in Hungarian) is still owned by Fröhlichs and carries a wide selection of cakes and cookies. Grab yourself a … flodni and coffee and prepare for the sweet decadence of the old world. [link]
Dohány Synagogue & Jewish Museum
Dohány utca 2
1074 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
Built in 1859, the Dohány Synagogue is the largest religious building of its kind in Europe. The synagogue and its Jewish Museum (built on the birthplace of Theodore … Herzl, founder of modern Zionism) form the cornerstone of the Jewish Quarter; the museum's walking tours begin at its gates. The museum has a small but worthy bookstore, a large collection of Jewish ritual implements from Hungary as well as an exhibition on the fate of city's Jewish population during WWII. The Conservative Synagogue is still in use, hosting musical performances as well as religious services. In the memorial park, a sculpted tree holds on its leaves the names of those lost in the Holocaust: there's also a stone inscribed with the names of Raoul Wallenberg, Carl Lutz, and others who struggled to rescue them. [link]
Cafe Zenit
Dohány utca 1
1074 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
Across the street from the Dohanye Synagogue Zenit, this cafe serves a tasty cup of coffee in a location handy for planning a trip through the quarter's narrow streets. … There's free Wi-Fi, as well as a selection of fine teas for you weak-kneed teetotalers. [link]
Carl Lutz Monument
Dob utca 10
1072 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
This oddly formed sculpture on a corner lot memorializes Carl Lutz, once the the Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest. Together with Raoul Wallenberg and others, he rescued tens … of thousands of Hungarian Jews from certain death by providing them with letters of protection and setting up safe houses in the city by certifying them as "annexes" of the Swiss Legation. In 1964, in recognition of his compassion and bravery, Lutz became the first Swiss national named "Righteous Among the Nations" by the Yad Vashem organization. [link]
Blue Rose Restaurant
Wesselényi utca 9
1077 VII. kerület, Budapest, Hungary
The Blue Rose serves a no-frills, mostly Hungarian menu. The menu is in English as well as Hungarian and the dishes are basic, delicious and affordable, with most running … between 5 and 15 euros. The television over the bar will usually be tuned into the evening's soccer match. Perfect for the cultural connoisseur on a budget. [link]
