Chapter 4

VIII. District.


Again. No, this is no mistake. I did intend to write a second part of this entry. If you read the previous post then you might had a feeling that something was missing. A sensation that this is perhaps not the whole story. And you were right. As I said, almost everybody has an idea of Józsefváros. To be frank, this image is not about the Palace district. It is about the dark, slummy side, the part where innocent passers-by are in danger and one may not even get out alive.

Movies, animated pictures, songs were written about this infamous part of the city, a town within the metropolis with its own rules. Is this true? Like most common places, this too has a certain kernel of truth. Of course, I may not be able to dig to the very bottom of the situation, I can still offer a show-around, though.

It is a fact that in and before the '90s there was a massive network of prostitution, however, it was eliminated with the help of public surveillance systems. Needless to say, this is something that cannot be purged out completely, but I must add that anywhere within the limits of Budapest this is a problem and this district isn't causing any more complication than any other. Earlier it was a well known fact, a principle even, that on Rákóczi square one will find dozens of prostitutes along the street. Today, one can take a midnight walk around there and will see none.

It is also a fact (and a common argument used against Budapest by non-Budapestians) that dirt and homeless people are everywhere. Both can be seen, indeed, however, homeless people are mostly appearing when free lunch is distributed on certain days and only on certain squares. Dirt... Well dirt is a something like the courtisans. All the other districts have it, moreover, all the other cities are guilty too, but everybody likes to point on the 8th district. Not to mention that Józsefváros has the biggest urban renewal program in Eastern Europe.

Does this mean that it has become a lovely little downtown? No. Definitely not. There is still loads and loads of work. The thing is with the 8th district that it does have its own sub cultural levels. Its own little, nothing-alike world. Where you may ask? Where to access? For one thing, not on the wide, sunlit roads and boulevards which where exemplified in the previous post. No, for this unique land you will have to go down alleys. Enter arcades. Go through glided corridors. Be part of it. There is this unbelievable segment of our city with a unique atmosphere. It may not be what we are used to but that's the point. If you descend to it, take a deep breath from it's somewhat foul air. You may gain valuable experience. That is all what living is about.