Community power – Marczi celebrates 50th anniversary with cultural buzz and outdoor attractions

Highlights include renowned singer Vera Tóth performing with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, a day of big-band sounds, and the folk-oriented Kaláka band. Hungarian speakers will enjoy the music quiz.

While the garden at the Marczi undergoes an eco-friendly transformation, open-air events, such as an all-day jamboree, will take place at venues such as the Fény utca market. The green space at the Marczi will remain open to the public.

50 years serving the community

Since 1972, the Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ has been a cultural citadel for District II. Back then, it was referred to by local paper, the Budai Hírmondó, as a ‘palace for dancing youth’. But its history stretches back further than that. In 1803, a certain István Marczibányi bought an empty vineyard here, and dedicated it to the youth of Buda, for the purpose of ‘play and exercise’.


The field, then outside of town, was soon put on the map, and its construction began at the turn of the 20th century, when it took the name of Marczibányi tér. Deputy head councillor of Csanád County, Marczibányi was a patron of the arts and sciences, taking care of those in need. Baths, hospitals and churches took his name. 

Donations and selfless work for the community became the greatest legacies of the Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ. Nicknamed the Marczi, as District II Non-Profit for Cultural Public Benefit Ltd, it has been participating in the cultural flourishing of the district for almost half a century,


in close co-operation with the Klebelsberg Kultúrkúria, aka the Klébi, the Sára Berczik Buda Dance Club, itself celebrating its 60th anniversary, and the Vízivárosi Galéria.

Spring cavalcade

Life is always busy at Marczi and the Klébi, but this spring promises some real cultural delicacies. The main player on the music front will be jazz, on 9 April at the Marczi, there will be an all-day Big Band Day with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra, who will also give a joint evening concert with acclaimed singer Vera Tóth the next day. Klébi Jazz Club evenings take place at the Klebelsberg Kultúrkúria, with the Gábor Kollmann Quintet on 11 March, the János Nagy Trió on 9 April, and the Krisztián Oláh Quartet on 12 May.

In addition to jazz, we can also expect other musical delicacies at the Marczi. On 26 March, the Kaláka band play with former long-term member Péter Huzella, then on 23 April, pianist László Dés performs while relating the stories behind the songs.

There will be no shortage of outdoor events, either. After the cycle exchange at Fény utca market, the Marczi will stage a day-long jamboree, with yoga and dance classes still taking place. The Klébi, meanwhile, will be hosting a children’s exhibition.

Pioneering greenery at Marczi

In addition to the colourful events, the Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ stands for renewal and greenery. Their aim is to transform the interiors so that visitors can relax before and in between events and performances, so the lobby of the theatre will be renovated and the open space in front of the entrance will be revamped. The car park will be closed and a pleasant area with a terrace will welcome visitors.

You can relax in the beautiful inner garden surrounded by wild grapes or take part in exciting outdoor activities. 

The playground in the back garden will soon be renovated and a unique development programme called Marczi Jam is now under way. Gardeners are adopting a permacultural approach to renovation, in symbiosis with the rhythm of nature.

Seed and seedling exchanges, preparing deep-seeded beds, communal planting and composting, a mushroom workshop, outdoor yoga and many more exciting green-friendly events are taking place.