A lost mural discovered in the rusting industrial zone of Csepel shows something of how everyday life was in this former Socialist paradise south of Budapest. Tibor Gyula Polinszky, the one-time chief architect of the district, took these photos as a large supermarket was being rebuilt, in order to preserve the display for posterity. They show the classic Hungarian brands from the era of centralised economies.
As opposed to the globalised supermarkets of today, grocery stores of 50 years ago stocked simple, modular goods. This is why the covered mosaics of this Csepel outlet feel exciting, illustrating long-lost products of a past system, the logos of Omnia coffee, Mirelite frozen foods and Hungavis meat.
The shop on Csepel’s main square of Szent Imre tér
is no longer with us, but here it stood, in front of the factory gates of the
huge plant where everyone was once employed.
Tibor Gyula Polinszky managed to persuade
the new management to cover up the mural rather than knock it down completely
– who knows, they may be revealed again one day.
