Downtown – Neon Signs of Budapest’s 5th District
Downtown Budapest was once one of the city’s brightest districts. Whenever an old photograph of Váci Street turns up, you can see just how densely the neon signs once lined the street. Almost none of that has survived, but a few old neon signs can still be found scattered around the 5th District. Let’s take a look at them.
Photos: Váci utca in 1972 on the left, and in 1971 on the right
1. Központi Antikvárium – 13–15 Múzeum körút
A Fortepan photograph from 1966 already shows the neon sign of Központi Antikvárium on Múzeum körút, while another photograph from 1975 documents the shop itself. So the neon was definitely already in place by the mid-1960s.
The owl was not used exclusively as the symbol of Központi Antikvárium. The State Book Distribution Company used various owl-shaped neon signs at several of its antiquarian bookshops. A version on Váci Street, for example, was documented in 1969, while other variations of these “antiquarian owls” appeared at other shops as well.
The history of Központi Antikvárium goes back much further. It was founded by József Magyar in 1891, originally at 13 Múzeum körút, under the name Központi Antiquarium és Könyvkereskedés. Magyar learned the antiquarian bookselling and book trade profession alongside Sámuel Révai.
Thanks to the nearby universities, Múzeum körút had already become one of Budapest’s most important bookselling and antiquarian districts by the end of the 19th century, although unfortunately only a few of these shops have survived to the present day.
From the mid-1910s, Központi Antikvárium operated at 17 Múzeum körút. It was nationalised in 1952, when it became Antiquarian Bookshop No. 34 of the State Book Distribution Company and moved to its current location at 13–15 Múzeum körút.
Photos: on the left, by Orsolya László for Funzine in 2023; on the right, the neon photographed by István Prusinszki in 2010
2. Ibolya Espresso – 5 Ferenciek tere
Many people know this place, which evokes the atmosphere of a bygone era not only through its interior but also through its selection of drinks, including Bambi and Traubisoda.
Ibolya opened in 1968 and has changed ownership several times since then, but fortunately its characteristic orange-and-brown interior has survived. The place may also look familiar from the screen: several scenes from the film Moszkva térwere shot here.
Photos: on the left, by Béla Kalota for ittivott; on the right photo by István Prusinszki in 2010
3. Cordatic – 4 Kossuth Lajos utca
The OGV emblem can still be seen on the façade, referring to the Országos Gumiipari Vállalat, or National Rubber Industry Company. Beneath it is the Cordatic Pneu sign.
Cordatic was once a well-known Hungarian tyre brand, whose history was connected to the Cordatic Magyar Gumiabroncs Értékesítő Rt. The Cordatic brand itself has long since disappeared, but the old illuminated sign still preserves its memory.
4. Budaprint – 11 Petőfi Sándor utca
The striking neon sign of Budaprint Pamutnyomóipari Vállalat can still be found today at 11 Petőfi Sándor utca.
Budaprint was a name associated with one of the largest Hungarian textile companies of the socialist era. Interestingly, Budaprint was not originally the name of the company itself: it began as the export brand of the Pamutnyomóipari Vállalat, or Cotton Printing Industry Company, and gradually became increasingly closely associated with the company as a whole.
The history of the company reaches back much further, as it brought together several long-established Hungarian textile factories, including the Goldberger company, founded in 1784.
The Petőfi Sándor Street neon is a particularly striking piece: the circular sign features the words “Budaprint Pamutnyomóipari Vállalat” alongside the company’s colourful emblem.
Photos: Budaprint sign on the left and Cordatic sign on the right, both by István Prusinszki, 2010.
5. Százéves Étterem – 2 Piarista utca
Next to Március 15. tér stands the Péterffy Palace, also known as the Krist House, which is home to the Százéves Étterem.
The building was commissioned by János Péterffy from 1755 onwards, and an inn began operating there not long after its completion, under a succession of different owners over the centuries.
Until the end of the 19th century, a number of similar Baroque palaces stood in the area, but most were demolished during the urban redevelopment connected to the construction of Elisabeth Bridge. The Péterffy Palace is therefore one of the rare surviving examples of old Pest’s Baroque cityscape.
To mark the restaurant’s 100th anniversary, it was renovated in 1931, when it took on the name Százéves Étterem, and the building was granted listed monument status.
Photos: the Baroque-style Péterffy Palace, home to the Százéves Restaurant, on the left; the neon sign on the right, photographed by István Prusinszki in 2010
If you feel like it, you can visit all of these places on a walk of just a few hours. And if I have missed an old neon sign somewhere in Budapest’s 5th District, make sure to let me know at cso@budapestneon.hu!
Sources: Fortepan, Neonvadaszat.blogspot.hu, Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism, Funzine
