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Writer's pictureChristy

Mixing Tradition and Funk -- The Great Synagogue and Walking the Jewish District in Budapest

Updated: Nov 9, 2018

When researching Budapest, I was surprised to learn that the Great Synagogue was the largest in Europe and the second largest in the World so I knew I had to see this while I was there. But, I was pleasantly surprised to also learn about the Jewish District while there. So, we booked the “Grand Tour” through the Great Synagogue which included tours of both the Synagogue and the Jewish District. I am so glad we did as we discovered so much.


I gave a little background on the Great Synagogue, otherwise called the Dohány Street Synagogue, in my recent blog post on the top 10 places to see in Budapest and that is where we began our tour.

The exhibition/museum (part of the Synagogue) was so interesting, loaded with artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries – some even from the 17th century. The museum opened in 1932 but during the Nazi invasion10 years later, some Christian women took the artifacts to the National Museum and hid them for safe keeping. They were later returned in 1947 when the war was over.

Ornate and beautiful objects used for the various Jewish holidays were on display -- I wasn’t aware there were so many Jewish events throughout the year so this was a bonus education for me! A very well preserved torah scarf from1767 especially caught my eye.

The Holocaust Tree Memorial in the back of the complex is beautifully striking yet sad at the same time. Each leaf represents each person killed in Hungary during the Holocaust. My heart goes out to all of those affected by this heinous act.

After the Synagogue, we left the complex with our tour guide, Alex, and headed on our way to see the other side of the Jewish District. It was hard to imagine that the district dates back to the end of the 18th century. Today, it has transformed into a shabby-chic atmosphere with quirky shops, cafes, and street food. Very different from when it was originally built.

There were many incredible and interesting murals and street art we got to see on our tour. One was even commemorating the Rubik’s Cube – did you know it was invented in Hungary?

But the most popular attractions are the ruin bars (romkocsma). The first ruin bar, Szimpla Kert(mozi), opened in 2002 in an abandoned building as a place for people to gather for drinks but eventually moved to a bigger location. It has now evolved into a tourist attraction and community center with shops, food, and of course, bars. There are now several ruin bars (all started in abandoned buildings) in the Jewish District – some of which have farmers markets operating on weekends.


But the coolest part is that some of the bars were actually ruined because of the war. The ruin bars are literally a place where you can step back in history to the days when the city was under attack during WWII. The city, in fact was going to tear the “ruined” buildings down but thanks to the idea of the ruin bars, these places are slowly turning in to a major attraction for both tourists and locals alike.

After seeing the ruin bars, we left the funkier part of the Jewish district and headed back to parts that still embrace Jewish tradition. We stopped at another synagogue built in the early 1900s, Autonom Orthodox – Kazinczy Street Synagogue. It was also beautiful with signs of Moorish influence as well, just not as large-scale as the Great Synagogue. Alex explained that it was used as a stable by the Nazis during the occupation and it appeared the wood floors might have remained the same to serve as a reminder of Budapest’s history. The rest however was very colorful and detailed.

The hours flew by that day. I was so happy we took the extended tour through the Jewish District. I not only received an education on Jewish tradition but also got to see the funkier side of Budapest. I have mentioned these ruin bars to some friends since then and the common response is complete interest and fascination. Indeed they are cool and a must-see when in Budapest, of course along with the Great Synagogue.

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