You may have noticed that in my posts I try to grasp the qualities, the perks of a certain district, a certain area. Some are thought to be homogenous; the vast greens of the XIV. district. Some I described as bipolar; the inner and the peripheral premises of the VIII district. In this entry, however, I try to twist a bit on the proverbial screw; I will examine a couple of blocks of buildings which represent multiple aspects at the same time.[Disclaimer: my original intention was to write only about the VII. district, a.k.a. Erzsébetváros. Yet, as I roamed the streets and took photographs I accidentally entered the VI. district, a.k.a. Terézváros. I found that my impressions qualified for both districts so I shall give them a single entry.]
Old and new. That is how I’d summarize the atmosphere I felt when entered Erzsébetváros and then walked to Terézváros. One can gaze upon ancient houses and then out of nowhere a newly constructed apartment complex pops up. When thinking of Budapest, and especially the traditional, historical parts, one imagines richly ornamented houses which tower above the passers-by. However, as in all cities around the world, progress is inevitable. This means that the old architecture style is being replaced with modern shapes and colors.
Both Terézváros and Erzsébetváros are one of the smallest districts; however, they host the most residents. This means that they have the highest density of population in Budapest; the leader is Erzsébetváros with 29 357 per km². All the above mentioned data lead to what I call the “New-York Effect”. There are no vacant lots to build on; however, there is a demand for more and more apartments. Thus, although these walls are markers of the previous centuries they are demolished and sacrificed on the altar of progress. New, modern office buildings and condos emerge, washing away the past and making room for the future.
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If the past-future collision is one axis on the Inner City’s coordinate system then the other axis is culture clash. The VII. district is famous of being the Jewish district in Budapest, in fact, it’s considered to be the Jewish district of Hungary. During and prior to WW II. the Jewish residents of the city were forced to live in ghettos. The ghetto was not more than 20 something blocks and one park, the outer walls were roughly equivalent to the limits of the VII. district. After the war a large portion of the Jewish community stayed among these walls, adding a unique flavor to the cultural stew.
We only need to take a walk on Dohány street and will see the largest synagogue in Eurasia and the second largest one in the world. Walking deeper into Erzsébetváros we’ll see signs of Jewish heritage; stores selling Torahs, kosher butchers, and other, smaller synagogues. What seems to be homogenous on first sight, however, turns out to be more varied under scrutiny.
On forums residents complain about the noise; the large number of pubs and their drunken patrons; the constant renovations and the disappearance of the old architectural themes. Yes, the aforementioned progress influenced the Jewish community as well. The only kosher food store that was in the vicinity was closed down recently. Sex shops and prostitutes satisfy those who seek the joys of flesh. The Turkish, the Arabs, and representatives of other Middle Eastern countries open their shops in downtown.
Solution? Accept change. It is inevitable. Everything undergoes this process, sometimes we just don’t see it. No matter how small or big, history will reshape everything; not a whole district, nor even Budapest is immune to the waves of time. Slowly, people will have understand and live with the fact that everything they knew is no more. Until then, enjoy it while you can.
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