“Are Martians interested in humans at all? Are people important in a city? In Paris, only humans are unpleasant and negligent. It is the city that I want to show you. I think, it is the houses that matter.” wrote author and essayist Antal Szerb in 1935 in his book “Budapest guide to Martians”.

Because most of the audience of Budapest100 is not from the Mars, not even the organizers, we will focus not only on buildings but their residents and their stories as well. As one of our volunteers said when preparing the riverside theme in 2017: “I really love Budapest, I am especially amazed by the romance of old buildings. Passing them I always try to imagine the life of the inhabitants, when the postman arrived or lovers sneaked out by night to date each other.”

What other place could be a better choice to start a Budapest100 walk in Újbuda than a building in St Gellért Square celebrating its centenary in 2017? 3 St Gellért Square used to be closely related to the nearby Technical University as the building was home to a café ideally located for gatherings of university students and professors, especially for those attending the CH building right next to. The detailed description will reveal why it was named as Eravisci House.

Eravisci House The palace was home to the Technical University Café, a restaurant and a beerhouse from 1905. At the time it was the gathering place for Technical University students and teachers. Today it hosts Palack Wine Bar.

Passing the historic campus of Budapesti Technical University along Budafoki Street you will get to the next station of the tour on the corner of Bertalan Lajos Street and Budafoki Street.

The area between Gellért Hill and Kopaszi Dam is a relatively young part of Budapest. Until the last decades of the 19th century it belonged to the Danube and floods posed serious challenges to the city.

It was in the 1870s, when the united city of Buda, Pest, Óbuda and Margaret Island was able to finance the large-scale investment of river management.

Kopaszi Dam stretching from St Gellért Square to its current tip was completed in 1873 forming a large lake. It was only in the 1910s when filling up the lake started and real estate developments could begin. This is how the site for the building of 20 Bertalan Lajos Street finished in 1914 was won from nature.

20 Bertalan Lajos Street Real estate developments began after filling up Lágymányos Lake in the 1910s. The house at 20 Bertalan Lajos Street was built in 1904. The wavy motif appears both on the facade and in the interior.

Proceed to 35 Budafoki Street that stood alone for some time and one of the empty plots was even used as an ad hoc cemetery. Former living residents there also serve as a good basis for stories in the detailed description.

35 Budafoki Street Budafoki Street and surroundings was a scarcely populated area in the 1910s with various shops and vendors. The street has been fully inhabited since then with famous and memorable residents.

Staying in Budafoki Street walk to number 59 built in 1912, currently home of Lechner Knowledge Center. It used to function as a tobacco warehouse. During opening hours the exhibition hall and the yard is worth discovering.

59 Budafoki Street (formerly tobacco factory) The Royal Tobacco Factory of Budapest Lágymányos was completed in 1912. It is a remarkable example for industrial architecture of the early-20th century combining functionality with delicate Historical and Secessionist decoration. Today it is home to Lechner Knowledge Center.

Walk back along Budafoki Street and turn left at Karinthy Frigyes Street. It was number 2 and later 22 where author Karinthy Frigyes lived, however, he did not have the privilege to live in a street named after him during his life. Then it was called Verpeléti Street and was renamed only in 1957. At the time the street was not as densely populated as today. The area around the tobacco factory just got slowly built in and it was rather a small town environment. You can read a narrative of those times by Karinthy’s son in the detailed description.

24 Karinthy Frigyes Street The eponymy used to live next door to 24 Karinthy Frigyes Street. The house has a spacious entrance hall trimmed with Zsolnay tiles and a hundred-year-old Secessionist mailbox recalls old times.

Not far from here you will reach Móricz Zsigmond Square named after another great writer of Hungary. Just before the corner there is 4-6 Karinthy Frigyes Street built in 1914. It is one of the gems of the street. Try to get inside.

4-6 Karinthy Frigyes Street One of the most beautiful houses in Karinthy Frigyes Street was built in 1914. It has a decorative entrance door with glass inserts. The inner courtyard is decorated with Zsolnay tiles and wrought iron consoles and barriers.

Crossing Móricz Zsigmond Square proceed along Bartók Béla Street. Number 50 is not that decorated but has a special structure designed by pioneers of modern architecture Béla Málnai and Gyula Haász.

They both were inspired by Ödön Lechner the most but not to copy his works but to follow his innovative attitude. This is what their best-known work clearly demonstrates on the corner of Nádor and Mérleg Streets (District 5) built for the Czech and Hungarian Industrial Bank mostly with details of the interior in focus.

50 Bartók Béla Street Until the 1910s the area belonged to the floodplain of Danube so it was used only as a plough land and vineyard. When river management works finished Bartók Béla Street became a major road of the district. The house was built in Pre-Modern style by the plans of Béla Málnai and Gyula Haász.

The next building of the tour is the “star” of Bartók Béla Street, Hadik-ház famous for its literary café. Why just Hadik? The earl dynasty was a real military family with more reputable members playing an important role in the military history of Hungary. The barracks built nearby in 1898 was named after the Hadik family and the owner may have hoped to have several guests from there when the café opened in 1911.

Hadik Café Hadik Café built in secessionist style has a long literary tradition. Famous authors of the 19th century, such as Dezső Kosztolányi or Frigyes Karinthy were among the returning guests. The café was closed during WW2 and reopened only in 2010 offering various cultural programs to guests.

The last station of the tour is in Bercsényi Street. In 1894 Kelenföld Building Association was established that built 5 blocks in Bercsényi Street around the turn of the century. Official records show that residents represented various professions but government officials and gentlemen of leisure were overrepresented in these buildings. The detailed description will introduce the constructor of the houses who was a real self-made man, formerly a horse trader.

8-10 Bercsényi Street The house was built in 1913 by a former horse trader, who made his fortune later as a construction entrepreneur. Later the owner was a lawyer until 1945, who lived in the house also. The house was well-equipped with modern amenities, such as a kitchen for each flats and shutters on windows.

Budapest100 is an extraordinary civil event inspiring the whole city. It was launched in 2011 as a volunteer-based community festival directing attention to local architectural values and inhabitants and building a cross-generational community.