By Jeanine Consoli
In 1989, after the fall of communism in Budapest, stately buildings across the city had become dilapidated and too far gone for rehabilitation. Unfortunately, these ornate, antique, buildings were set for demolition. The idea of a run-down and crumbling structure seemed like the perfect setting for a simple bar; a cheap place to have a drink and gather with friends.
A small group of entrepreneurs got together and decided to invest in one of those buildings. It was inexpensive real estate, and the perfect spot for the concept they were envisioning. The idea was to keep the space as rustic inside as the building was on the outside. In 2002, Szimpla Kert, the first “ruin” bar of its kind, was opened in the Jewish Quarter in Budapest, Hungary. The spot became so popular that only two years later, a bigger venue was needed to accommodate all the customers and tourists who enjoyed the experience.
The partners found out about an old stove factory on 14 Kazinczy Utca, not far from the site of the original location that was set to be taken down. The building (built in 1841 and later renovated to add a second story in 1873) was one of the oldest dwellings in the early 20th century when Sandor Heber bought it from the Pokorny family in 1911 and made it a stove factory. Heber loved the U-shaped home whose front gates led to a grand entrance and a courtyard enclosed with a glass roof – allowing for a lot of a natural light.
The rustic architectural details were stunning. The house was so old and unique that once the stove factory left, it was saved from the wrecking ball and put under the protection of the capital authority in 1994. It was later purchased by the partners. In the summer of 2004, the second Szimpla Kert was opened as an alternative café and cinema under the stars. The broken glass roof was removed, and each room was given a unique personality of its own.
Today, the décor of Szimpla Kert feels like an eclectic garbage -picked carnival. All the rooms are decorated with found items like discarded iron claw foot tubs made into couches and found objects like baby doll heads, old television sets and defunct computer monitors. A craft beer bar, located on the second floor, has bubbling and gurgling test-tube like decanters decorated to look like a mad scientist’s laboratory. The walls and tables are completely covered with graffiti from patrons who wanted to leave a piece of themselves behind.
In several rooms there are bars, in others you will either find a dance floor with disco ball or a “quiet” space filled with mismatched tables and chairs for conversations over cocktails. In the center area, one story above the courtyard, there are various potted plants decorating the vacant space where the glass roof was removed. Hundreds of fairy lights strung across the opening twinkle above the space below where an old car resides next to high top bar tables.
Szimpla Kert was designed to be a place of community. Some nights movies are scheduled, other nights there are live bands. There are special days where Szimpla Kert transforms into an art gallery, and on Sunday mornings, you could come for brunch or scour the farmer and flea market set up in the courtyard just cleaned from a night of revelry. This is a place where you could spend your entire evening and then return a few hours later and have a completely different experience. On Saturday afternoon, we stopped in for a beer and explored the space in the light of day. As the sun filtered through the courtyard, we walked from room to room to absorb the décor, the collection of live plants and drink in the ambiance of each area.
Later, that evening, around 11:00 pm, we came back to enjoy the bar scene. The various spaces were filled with patrons smoking hookah pipes, dancing to house music or sitting and laughing with groups of friends enjoying a cool fall evening under the stars. The atmosphere was energized, and fun. It felt completely different from the quiet pub we visited earlier that day.
On Sunday morning, we returned to Szimpla Kert. We wanted to visit the flea market and browse through all the tables set up where the bars stools had stood just a few hours earlier. Two musicians strummed a duet on a version of an auto-harp that had both strings and keys. It sounded like Hungarian folk music and was the perfect sound track to follow us as we meandered through the maze of vendors selling their homemade goods.
We tasted sweet organic honey and smelled the various scents of handmade soaps and candles. There were tables of dried sausages, fresh baked pastries, breads and cheeses. Other vendors sold fruit or flowers. It was an ample array of items. In other rooms, you could browse flea market offerings like pins and posters, crocheted goods, or flea market bric a brac.
It was a lazy Sunday that called for this type of browsing, tasting, smelling and shopping. We had been to Szimpla Kert three time in two days and each time, we had a different experience within the walls. We felt connected to the rhythm of this place and soaked in all that it had to offer over the course of the weekend. It truly was a place where you could experience several moods, taste the flavors of the city and feel connected to the vibrant community.
All photos by Jeanine Consoli
