In summer, Budapest shows us one of its most beautiful sides – making it the perfect time for a sightseeing stroll, even if you live here and not just when you’re visiting. Beyond the main attractions, the city is full of hidden treasures – you just have to know where to look!
One of the liveliest and most popular parts of downtown is the party district – and while you might think it only came to life in the past 15 years, that’s far from the truth. Around the turn of the 20th century, the Király utca area was already a hotspot for nightlife, entertainment, and decadent secrets. In the former brass foundry of Mika Tivadar, alongside the Mitico hotel and bar, an alternative museum – a small-scale exhibition – opened last summer, dedicated to the buildings in the neighbourhood with the most intriguing stories to tell.
Király Street’s Colourful and Mysterious Past
The idea for the museum came from Richárd Batuska, managing director of RD Hotels Management, and its exhibition is 'secret' in two ways. Firstly, it’s not every day you stumble upon a charming local history collection in the basement of a hotel in Budapest. Secondly, the displays bring to light long-forgotten stories from around Király Street. The timeline begins at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when the area was known for its factories, workshops, entertainment venues, and brothels, and runs through to the mid-20th century and the tragic days of Second World War.
The experience starts before you even reach the exhibition – at the back of Mitico, the cosy spot that’s a brunch café by day and a bar by night. This section is styled like an elegant turn-of-the-century salon, complete with plush armchairs and an atmosphere that transports you back in time. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll notice playful nods to the neighbourhood’s colourful past – from early 1900s risqué postcards to Belgian-made candles once used by local courtesans as a rather unconventional stopwatch.
Budapest’s First Cinema and Rambo
The exhibition continues in the basement, where you’ll uncover the stories of some of the neighbourhood’s most intriguing buildings still standing today. These include the former Merkúr Café, whose courtyard hosted Budapest’s very first film screenings; the Blue Cat Inn, a lively spot that welcomed everyone from Queen Victoria’s son and the Serbian heir to the throne to Bismarck’s son – and was the scene of more than a few scandals. You’ll even find out what connects the Schneider House, birthplace of the Hungarian playing card, to Rambo.
Alongside the golden days of the 19th century, the exhibition also delves into the neighbourhood’s darker past. One wall features a map of the Pest ghetto as it was during Second World War, while another showcases an original Schutzpass – a life-saving document issued at the time by the Portuguese, Swiss, and Swedish embassies to protect those facing persecution. There’s also a dedicated section on a building that once operated as a steam bath in peacetime, but during the Holocaust served as the ghetto’s only mortuary.
Although the exhibition fits into a single, medium-sized room, its richness means you can easily spend an hour here uncovering a side of the neighbourhood you’ve never seen before. Thanks to the area’s multicultural character at the time, many of the stories – and even some of the artefacts – have fascinating international connections. The historical expertise comes from historian Levente Jamrik, while the visual concept is the work of painter Júlia Végh.
The Story of Hungarian Freedom Fighters in Mexico
The Mika Tivadar Secret Museum has recently expanded with a brand-new room. Tied to the Mexican theme of the upstairs Mitico, this fresh display tells the little-known, adventurous story of the former Hungarian soldiers who fled to Mexico after the War of Independence and went on to fight as mercenaries in the local civil war. Known as the 'Red Devils,' their fascinating tale has only just been brought to light with this new exhibition.
The themed exhibitions at the Mika Tivadar Secret Museum are, of course, open to everyone – but if you’re there for brunch or evening cocktails, you can explore them free of charge. Table reservations are highly recommended, especially in the second half of the week and at weekends.
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(Cover photo: Máté Bodorkós - We Love Budapest)
Legyetek ott első városi piknikünkön!
Gyertek, és töltsünk el egy vidám napsütéses tavaszi napot együtt a városligeti fák lombjai között május 1-jén, ahol day-time piknik, workshopok, sok szuper food truck és dizájnvásár is vár mindenkit.
Ünnepeljük együtt a tavaszt, a találkozásokat és azt a pezsgést, amiért annyira szeretjük Budapestet!
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