A Walk around Budapest VII district
One of the things I love most about Budapest is that to take in some culture or history you don’t necessarily have to go to a museum. Often just a simple walk will show you the past of the country and the cultural heritage.
One of the best places to take one of those walks is Budapest VII district. When I first visited it, just a tourist wandering around, I was struck by how old, bare and run down some of the streets in this district appeared to be.
There was something in the air though, a smell of past grandeur, of sufferance, of history, with all the good and bad aspects of it. I research the subject a bit and discovered that my impressions were right. Budapest VII district has indeed seen a lot of personal and national stories and events developing on its streets.
The area was home to the Jewish ghetto. According to Greatsynagogue.hu since November 1944. 55 000 people crowded into almost 300 houses with around 4500 apartments. By January 1945 this number grew to 70 000. Due to the extreme weather conditions, lack of supplies of food and medicine and the perpetrators’ terror many people lost their lives on the territory of the ghetto. Their bodies were left unburied on the streets and in the courtyard of the Dohany synagogue. Some very strong and moving pictures can be found here.
Photo Credit
Today in the VII district you find several synagogues, including the Great Synagogue, which the second largest in the world. But as the area has developed further, you also find a large number of restaurants, bars, clubs and music venues. The contrast between old and new, history and modernity is really unique.
Whether you’re visiting in cold months, when the dark wintery streets have an atmosphere of their own, or in hot months, when you rather spend some time outdoor, make sure you visit this special district, wander around its streets and take in some history.
