Focus

Vladimir Putin visits Viktor Orbán in Budapest, but the sizeable Russian flag blocks the view of the Hungarian capital.

Hungarians, conspiracy theories and Budapest’s allegiance to Moscow

Political Capital, one of Hungary’s most prominent think tanks, reminds us this week that 42% of Hungarians believe that it is not the government in Budapest, with its near super majority in parliament, which controls events in the country, but rather some other, shadowy force. Among those who believe this to be true, 30% are convinced that Jews rule the world and […]

by · July 14, 2016 · Focus
Protestors in Budapest's Városliget. Photo Credit: Colby Hopkins.

Activists occupy major park in Budapest to stop unwanted development

Colby Hopkins, an American social justice activist and graduate of New York University, is currently in Budapest and is witnessing firsthand an on-going protest in the Városliget (City Park) against the Orbán government’s decision to construct a new museum quarter, at the expense of trees and much needed public green space. Many analysts believe that the government is using the development […]

by · July 13, 2016 · Focus
Trams at Budapest's Széll Kálmán tér (formerly Moszkva tér) in June 2016. Photo: Christopher Adam.

Far fewer Hungarians own cars, according to new study

One of Hungary’s most prominent pollsters and research firms, Medián (commissioned by Robert Bosch Kft.), published some insightful statistics today, on how transportation and the role of cars in the lives of ordinary citizens is changing in Hungary. Anyone who has been to Budapest (I just returned from a three week trip) can tell you that driving in the city […]

by · July 4, 2016 · Focus
Bambi at Ibolya Presszó (Photo: C. Adam)

Bambi — Hungary’s (in)famous national soft drink

Before Coca Cola was introduced to Hungarian consumers in 1968, and prior to Pepsi’s 1970 debut in socialist Hungary, the young and the old alike drank and presumably enjoyed an orange soda called Bambi. Earlier today, being in Budapest, I decided to stop by one of my favourite retro-themed cafés–Ibolya Presszó, located in Ferenciek tere–and give Bambi a try, alongside […]

by · June 15, 2016 · Focus
The demolition of the Radetzky Barracks in Budapest, on May 28, 2016.

Budapest is losing its heritage — The destruction of historic buildings in Hungary’s capital

An increasingly disturbing trend is taking hold in Budapest. A growing number of historic buildings and heritage sites are being demolished or remodelled, with little to no regard for their architectural value, nor for the public spaces around these structures. On May 26th, bulldozers appeared in Bem Square, along the banks of the Danube, to demolish one of the most prominent […]

by · May 30, 2016 · Focus
Mrs. Kádár with her husband János Kádár in the seventies.

A portrait of Mrs. Kádár — The wife of Hungary’s former communist ruler

A Hungarian quarterly history magazine entitled Múlt-kor published essays in its spring 2016 print issue on the spouses of seven prominent twentieth century dictators. The magazine is not a strictly academic publication as such, but is rather an effort by researchers to present aspects of Hungarian and world history to a somewhat broader reading audience than one that would be […]

by · May 24, 2016 · Focus
The Ikarus 280 model still runs in Budapest.

Reviving Hungary’s bus manufacturing industry — Confusion, chaos and concerns of corruption

The much needed refurbishment of Budapest’s M3 metro line, which is now potentially a safety hazard for both passengers and the Budapest Transportation Company’s employees alike, is being postponed to November, due to confusion around what type of replacement buses will be used during the two year period when the subway line is out of commission. Budapest officials had earlier […]

by · May 22, 2016 · Focus
Soviet-built metro cars currently in use on the M3 line in Budapest. This photo shows the section of the line between Határ út and Kőbánya, which runs above ground.

Russia’s Metrovagonmash and the Budapest metro refurbishment — A curious arrangement

The Budapest metro’s M3 (blue) line is undergoing a much needed upgrade. Budapest’s longest underground line (there are three other lines, all much shorter) spans 17 km, includes 20 stations and construction dates back to 1970. The line was opened in 1976 and the rolling stock to this day is comprised of the Soviet-built Metrovagonmash 81-717/81-714 type metro cars. The […]

by · May 17, 2016 · Focus
Border patrol in southern Hungary, near Röszke, at the border between Hungary and Serbia. Photo: MTI.

A country for old men — Hungary and the strange bedfellows of anti-refugeeism

Last September an article on the front page of a leading Hungarian daily began, “The story of the ever-deepening refugee crisis is taking ever more unexpected turns.” A prominent Hungarian intellectual and former dissident, György Konrád, had come out in support of the efforts of the Hungarian government to build a wall to keep out newcomers and to cast them […]

by · May 12, 2016 · Focus
Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin.

Hungary is Russia’s new bastion in Europe

Zsuzsanna Szelényi is a foreign policy analyst and Member of Parliament affiliated with the centre-left Együtt (Together) Party. Ms. Szelényi argues that through Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s war against the West and Moscow’s highly effective use of 21st century hybrid warfare, Hungary is being turned into a colony of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.  We are translating Ms. Szelényi’s insightful analysis from the […]

by · May 9, 2016 · Focus