Resurrected Csemege

Resurrected Csemege – this neon sign from the building of the Unitarian Church is given a new life in a restaurant

This story began in 2020, when we contacted the Unitarian Church about the possibility of renovating the double Élelmiszer–Csemege (“Food–Delicatessen”) neon signs on their building on Nagy Ignác Street.

Although CSŐ’s mission is to restore neon signs and return them to their original locations, in this case the Church insisted on removing the signs, as they planned to open a kindergarten in the former delicatessen space—so we complied. After receiving approval from Heritage Conservation, the signs were taken down in the summer of 2021. One pair went to the Kiscelli Museum, while renovation of the other pair began.

The first step—handled by Polisign—was corrosion removal and repainting, with the aim of matching the original as closely as possible. This proved challenging, as the paints used in the 1970s are no longer available. Once completed, the green-and-white base went to Decorlight for the finishing work: bending the glass tubes to emit white light.

The finished Csemege sign (from here on separate from Élelmiszer) was presented at Kastner Budapest during an exhibition organized by Girls Can Scan. It remained there for four months while awaiting its next home via an open call.

We didn’t have to wait long to find the perfect place: the newly opened Csemege bistro/restaurant on Kecskeméti Street had moved into a former delicatessen and had even preserved the original sign above the entrance. The neon was installed in the shop window to draw passersby inside.

Sadly, pieces like this are now rare in the city, though in the 1970s and ’80s Csemege–Élelmiszer and many variations were common, advertising the shops of Csemege Kereskedelmi Vállalat (the Delicatessen Trading Company), founded in 1952.

The Élelmiszer partner sign is still awaiting its fate. Because of the word’s meaning, it offers fewer placement options—if you have ideas, please get in touch.

Our thanks to everyone who helped with the Csemege–Élelmiszer project: Botond Elekes, Lóránd Balla, Miklós Tömör, László Katona, Mihály Hallgas, Vendel Hallgas, János Bacskai, Bálint Bacskai, and Judit Járai.

Last but not least, none of this would have been possible without CSŐ’s customers. If you’d like to support us, please check out our products.