5 March 2022 - ABANDONED ADRIA PALACE - HUNGARY

 

ABANDONED ADRIA PALACE 

- HUNGARY -

G'day folks,

This building has survived for more than a century and remains virtually untouched.  

Liberty Square is one of Budapest’s most well-known places. However, most visitors to the area ignore a massive hidden gem in the neighborhood. Actually, it’s not hidden, as it happens to be a large tenement house that can be seen from Liberty Square. This is Adria’s Palace. 

 Completed in 1918. the building was once home to the Adriatic Insurance Company. The palace is abandoned but doesn’t resemble your typical forlorn building filled with dilapidated fixtures and decay. Visitors won’t find broken walls or graffiti, as it remains the same as it did during its heyday.

The inside of the building is designed with marble walls, stairs with columns, and an amazing courtyard that has been virtually untouched. The gate is permanently open and anyone can visit inside. 

The building garnered its name from the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, when it once bordered the Adriatic. Adria is abandoned, but that hasn’t stopped the location from making several appearances on the big screen. 

Clancy's comment: What an amazing building, but sad that it's abandoned.

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2 March 2022 - SHOES ON THE DANUBE PROMENADE - HUNGARY

 

SHOES ON THE 

DANUBE PROMENADE 

- HUNGARY -

 

G'day folks,

A trail of iron footwear stands as a monument to the thousands executed along this riverbank during WWII. 

In October of 1944, Hitler overthrew the leader of the Hungarian government, Miklos Horthy, and replaced him with Ferenc Szalasi.

Szalasi, whose ideology closely followed Hitler’s, immediately established the Arrow Cross Party - a fascist, anti-semitic organization that brutally and publicly terrorized the Jews in Budapest by beating and killing them. Nearly 80,000 Jews were expelled from Hungary in a death march to the Austrian border and approximately 20,000 Jews were brutally shot along the banks of the Danube River. The victims were forced to remove their shoes at gunpoint (shoes being a valuable commodity during World War II) and face their executioner before they were shot without mercy, falling over the edge to be washed away by the freezing waters.

 

Shoes on the Danube Promenade is a haunting tribute to this horrific time in history, created by film director Can Togay and the sculptor, Gyula Pauer. Installed along the bank of the Danube River in Budapest, the monument consists of 60 pairs of 1940s-style shoes, true to life in size and detail, sculpted out of iron.

This memorial is simple yet chilling, depicting the shoes left behind by the thousands of Jews who were murdered by the Arrow Cross. The style of footwear - a man’s work boot; a business man’s loafer; a woman’s pair of heels; even the tiny shoes of a child - were chosen specifically to illustrate how no one, regardless of age, gender, or occupation was spared. Placed in a casual fashion, as if the people just stepped out of them, these little statues are a grim reminder of the souls who once occupied them - yet they also create a beautiful place of reflection and reverence.

At three points along the memorial are cast iron signs with the following text in Hungarian, English, and Hebrew: “To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45. Erected 16 April 2005.”

Clancy's comment: Lest we forget.

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9 November 2020 - ABANDONED PLACES IN HUNGARY

ABANDONED PLACES

 IN HUNGARY

G'day folks,

Two 22-year-old twin brothers from France, Anthony and Florent, are both Master’s students at a business school. Passionate about travel and atypical places, they discovered urban exploration. 

This passion grew up after their first exploration in a former sanatorium. It was a real revelation.

The brothers have travelled all over France and other European countries to rediscover a once sparkling heritage. Their passion for photography came to them 3 years ago, starting with their smartphones. They then perfected their skills until they bought a DSLR camera. Today, they own a Canon 700D and a Sigma 10-20mm f4.5-5.6 ultra-wide-angle lens.

Last year the brothers spent 10 months in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, as part of an Erasmus program. Here is the result of their explorations -  theatres, buildings, army barracks and power stations. Today, several places in this series have been renovated, destroyed or simply closed down.

Clancy's comment: Thank you, boys. I'm continually staggered by these abandoned places. 

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14 November 2019 - MAGICAL TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN HUNGARY

MAGICAL TOWNS 

AND VILLAGES IN HUNGARY

G'day folks,

Planning a trip to Europe? Don't forget this charming country.

The first picture that probably comes to mind when you hear about Hungary is, of course, its capital - the wonderful Budapest, which is a very popular tourist destination for many around the world. Other large cities in the country, such as Debrecen and Szeged, also make the cut for the map of recommended tourist attractions, but at the same time know that Hungary's greatest source of magic is hidden in its small towns and picturesque villages that extend from Balaton Lake in the western part of the country to the edge of The Danube River in the north - where thousands of years of history, culture and traditional Hungarian life are preserved in the most authentic and fascinating way. So if you want to get to know Hungary in depth and get out of Budapest to enjoy a local, pleasant and picturesque experience, check out these charming places.

Clancy's comment: Enticed to visit? Do it!

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