Explore the world of Hungarian neon signs
I. Era of Light in Budapest 1910-1930
The ‘first era of light’ in Budapest was between 1910-1940 owing to the spread of electricity in Europe. Unfortunately, most of them have been carried away by the devastation of World War II, thus few were left from the first heydays.
Signs from the I. Era of Light, Oktogon, 1930 (Fortepan)
II. Era of Light in Budapest 1970-1980
In 1970, at the 10th Congress of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, the decision was made to “neonize” Budapest — in other words, the city’s nights began to glow by party decree. The aim was clear: to give Budapest a more cosmopolitan look, so that — at least in appearances — it could compete with the “decadent” metropolises of the West.
In the following years thousands of neon signs were produced and placed all over the country. All the neon signs of Hungary were produced by three companies (Neonberendezéseket gyártó vállalat, Fővárosi Neon Vállalat, Neon Reklám Ipari Szövetkezet). They didn’t only manufacture the advertisements but they also maintained them, with repairmen patrolling the city to check the neon signs.
Rákóczi út, 1975
Before the street display of a sign, it was not only preceded by the joint work of architects, engineers, graphic designers and electricians but it also depended on the approval of a so-called Neon Committee.
Another odd part of the story was the complete lack of brands and slogans in the Socialist era: the signs merely carried simple messages, for example, / Don’t rubbish / Shop ready-made dresses / Clamber on the tram”. This part of the neon signs has been criticized from the beginning. There are articles from the ‘70s harshly commenting on the absurdity of the wording of the lights - they are meant to catch the tourists’ interest who don’t understand the meaning.
Vásároljon Készruhát! which means Buy ready-made!, Budapest, 1970 (Fortepan)
From the ‘80s the decline of the neon signs started. Cheaper and simpler techniques emerged and the last coffin nail for these signs was the change of the regime in 1989. After that most of the companies ceased without cessionary and these signs were left abandoned. Nobody assumed responsibility to renovate or just remove them, as their operation would have been too expensive.
It’s a painful trend in many cities, from New York to Hongkong that neon signs are disappearing. To prevent their complete decline it is civilians who try to save, restore or document them. For example in Vienna there is the Stadtschrift Museum, in Berlin the BUCHSTABENMUSEUM, and in Warsaw the Neon Museum. For now, we are not aware of a similar initiative in Budapest, but many of us feel that the signs would be most appreciated in their original locations rather than in a themed museum.