Street art, murals, and graffiti

The spontaneous and somewhat mischievous efforts of local painters gave rise to the street art culture in Budapest. As the city around them grew, they saw more and more courtyards surrounded by ugly, empty walls. They decided to give these courtyards some life.

Locals were so moved by the new colour it brought to their lives that, rather than denouncing them as graffiti, they celebrated them as masterpieces, and soon, searching for new ones became a game for the community.

Street art reflecting culture, history, and lifestyle

One of the recurring themes of the murals painted on the city’s walls is honouring the individuals who have contributed to Hungary’s diverse culture.

Hungarian culture is an intriguing thing that has evolved over more than a thousand years and has been impacted by the various civilizations and empires that have claimed the nation throughout time. Hungary is known for its creativity. Many mathematicians and physicists have done groundbreaking work in the country over the years.

Another reoccurring theme in the street art scene in Budapest is commemorating Hungarian history, mainly by paying tribute to the heroes of the country. Hungary’s more than a thousand-year history has inspired plenty of artists to paint on the boring city walls.

Returning to the present, numerous murals perfectly represent the energy and excitement of Budapest’s metropolitan culture. The city is rapidly expanding, is beloved by foreigners and visitors from all over the world, and has much to be proud of, which gives plenty of explanation as to why so many streets and walls are covered with quirky, colourful paintings reflecting the life in Budapest.

The Rubik’s cube mural, Dob Street

The Rubik’s Cube, created by Hungarian Ernő Rubik, is a straightforward toy that has delighted millions of people over the years. This is commemorated in Erzsébetváros by a 3D Rubik’s cube made from thousands of radiating and vibrant dots. According to the artist, the piece is a reflection on the idea that, like the Rubik’s Cube, “there is always a solution—and not just one”—to problems in life.

Man of the Year, Wesselényi Street

A key event for the city was the 1956 revolution. Despite failing to entirely destroy Communism, citizens were able to secure significant reforms that gave Hungary a much more liberal environment than many of its neighbours.

The Man of the Year mural honours the soldiers who fought for freedom by simply copying the iconic Time Magazine cover created by Boris Chaliapin for the occasion.

Portrait of Angel Sanz Briz, Dob Street

An eye-catching, almost Cubist mural is perched on a firewall above a restaurant as you enter Dob Street in the Jewish Quarter. It shows a man against a bizarre, vivid background. The painting was created by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel in honour of Spanish diplomat Angel Sanz Briz, who in 1944 saved as many as 5,000 Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust.

The Spanish Embassy in Hungary helped fund the mural in the former Jewish Ghetto to honour the man referred to as the “Angel of Budapest” or the “Spanish Schindler.”

6:3, Rumbach Sebestyén Street

Hungary used to be quite good at football. Stars of the time, Öcsi Puskás and his “Golden Team” defeated every opponent they faced on the pitch. However, their 6-3 victory over England stands out as their most famous triumph, and this mural honours it.

This charming piece, which is set up as a photo, news articles, and a football, serves as a reminder of a happier Hungary’s athletic past.

Sunrise or Sunset, Kazinczy Street

This artwork, located in the centre of the party district, is based on the Hungarian dichotomy “Sunrise, or sunset.” It serves as a kind of map for visitors, suggesting all that the neighbourhood has to offer, both during the day and at night. The map highlights some of the most popular bars and restaurants in the surrounding streets.

Budapest isn’t too small, Kazinczy Street

As if the opposite of the Sunrise or Sunset painting, this mural, which also resembles a map and is placed in Kazinczy Street, serves more as a call to leave the Jewish Quarter and have a brief tour of the rest of the city. When the party area is compared to the rest of the city as it is done here, the party district may appear large to visitors, but you’ll quickly be yearning to explore and get to the other parts of the city.

Hidden Little Gems: Kolodko Mini Sculptures

If you are not aware that these mini sculptures exist all over Budapest, in Veszprém and Tihany you may not easily find them. They are so small that sometimes it requires real detective work and sharp eyes if you want to locate them. But it’s worth taking the effort because they are all unique and most of them have a story behind them.

The sculptor and his sculptures

Mihály Kolodko the artist behind the sculptures comes from Ukraine. He graduated from Lviv Academy of Arts as a sculptor. Like most sculptors, he intended to make big sculptures but was annoyed by the expenses and the long and hard bureaucratic process of getting a permit for the creation of a sculpture and opted for something different instead. His first small statues appeared in the streets of Uzhhorod then in 2017 he moved to Budapest and continued creating the small sculptures in Hungary. His art is called guerrilla art as the statues were placed in public spaces without official permission first. However, since then, some of the sculptures have already been created as commissioned art. The tiny statues have become so popular that some of them were even stolen several times and had to be replaced.

How the sculptures are made

The sculptures are first carved from modelling clay. Then a negative mould is made, followed by a plaster cast and another mould that is filled with liquid bronze. When the metal has cooled, it’s sanded, polished, and shaped until the artist gets the finished little sculpture. The statues are always designed for a special location as statue and location belong together. The sculptor has to see the statue in its surrounding right from the beginning of the creation process.

Sculptures with a twist

Mihály Kolodko creates his little gems funnily and playfully but there is always more to them than meets the eye. When people look at them, it is usually obvious what they see, but most sculptures have their own story behind them. If you want to reveal the real meaning behind the statues and know what they symbolize you need to be familiar with politics, history and old times in Hungary. As for their whereabouts they can appear anywhere and anytime so you’d better be on the watch-out if you don’t want to miss the newest one.

From Főkukac to Emperor Franz Joseph

The first-ever Kolodko mini sculpture in Budapest was Főkukac, a little worm from a well-known cartoon “A nagy ho-ho-ho horgász” (The Big Ho-Ho Angler). It is sitting on the banks of the Danube at Bem Quay 15 opposite the Parliament. The character was one of the artist’s favourites as he learned Hungarian watching this cartoon series on TV. Főkukac is a popular little statue. In winter it can usually be seen in a knitted scarf gifted to it by an admirer.

The latest addition to the Kolodko universe is the sculpture of Emperor Franz Joseph in a hammock that appeared on Liberty Bridge in May 2021. The bridge used to bear the Habsburg ruler’s name. It was Franz Joseph who hammered in the last rivet to complete the construction of the bridge. The hammock refers to people who took over the bridge to relax while it was closed to road traffic a few years ago.

Other iconic Kolodko works include:

– a dead squirrel outlined by chalk in Falk Miksa Street

– Kermit the frog from the Muppet Show near the Parliament at Liberty Square

– a tiny tank on Bem Quay symbolizing the 1956 revolution in Hungary

– composer Ferenc Liszt sitting on his suitcase outside Terminal 2A at the airport named in his honour

– Mekk Elek, the clumsy cartoon character handyman goat, at the foot of the stairs of Széll Kálmán Square near Buda Castle.

– Libido, the balloon dog, in homage to the scandalous artist Jeff Koons between the iron fence posts near Corso Restaurant at the Pest entrance of the Chain Bridge.

– Tivadar Herzl, journalist, writer and political activist, near Dohány Street Synagogue in the 7th district.

– Rubik’s Cube, Ernő Rubik’s world-famous invention, near Batthyány Square opposite the Parliament

– Diver with the key of the famous New York Café in his hands at the intersection of Dohány Street and Osvát Street. Legend has it that Hungarian author Ferenc Molnár tossed the café’s key into the river to prevent it from ever closing.

– Lunar Rover commemorating a famous Hungarian inventor Ferenc Pavlics who invented the lightweight but resilient wheels needed to traverse the Moon on the Lunar Rover in Hold (Moon) Street

– Rezső Seress, the composer of the infamous Hungarian ’suicide song’ Gloomy Sunday on the wall of the former Kispipa restaurant he used to frequent in the 7th district

– Kockásfülű nyúl (Checkered-Eared Rabbit) from another Hungarian cartoon near Sándor Palace, at the Buda Castle funicular

– Lisa Simpson, cartoon character, at Jászai Mari Square

– Hanna Szenes, Jewish war hero, in the 7th district

– the 14-carat car from a Jenő Rejtő book at Hevesi Sándor Square at the beginning of Rejtő Jenő Street, in front of Pesti Magyar Theatre

– Noah’s Ark at Bethlen Gábor Square. If you wait till the sun hits the right spot you’ll be able to see a rainbow symbolising God’s promise recreated in the ark’s beautiful multicoloured windows.

– Brexit, symbolized by Mr Bean’s beloved Teddy on the wall of the former British Embassy at Harmincad Street

– Süsü, the dragon, a puppet show character, and Gyula Bodrogi his voice-over actor at Szabadság Square, at the side of the old building of the Hungarian Television

– Leonóra and the lion, Ernő the guard, and Ödön the musician in Veszprém

– Gombóc Artúr the chubby chocolate-loving bird in Tihany

Let the treasure hunt begin! Visit every single one of them if you can. We guarantee that it will be a very special experience indeed.