3-5 Petőfi tér
At first glance, the building at 3-5 Petőfi tér might look like just another elegant downtown apartment house. From the outside, you'd never guess the surprises waiting inside. But step through the gate, and you're instantly transported – partly back to the 1930s, partly into the stylish lobby of a modern hotel.
Designed by architect Andor Wellisch and completed in 1938 for the Salgótarján Coal Mining Company's prestigious pension fund, the building is full of character. Its most striking feature? The lobby: a dramatic space crowned with a dome of circular glass panels and framed by gracefully curving staircases. Over the years, it's been home to many notable residents, including actor Imre Sinkovits and director István Homoki-Nagy. If Wes Anderson ever laid eyes on it, we're pretty sure he'd fall head over heels.
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5/A Szalay utca
Here's another gem of Hungarian modernism! The apartment block, originally built for the Association of Royal Hungarian Postmasters and Postmaster Employees, stands out with its triangular-shaped staircase. Architect György Rumszauer placed the enclosed stairwell along the diagonal axis of the building's corner, giving it a unique layout that forms more than a quarter-circle. Whether viewed from above or below, the result is visually stunning. Anyone lucky enough to live here probably takes a moment to admire it every single day.
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Dugattyús-ház
The iconic 'Dugattyús-ház' on Margit Boulevard was originally built as a rental property for the Weiss Manfréd Works' prestigious pension fund, nestled at the foot of upscale Rózsadomb. It was designed by the same architectural duo – Béla Hofstätter and Ferenc Domány – who also created the famed Dunapark buildings on Pozsonyi út (see below). This residence was the epitome of modern luxury at the time, constructed with high-quality materials and equipped with all the latest conveniences. The staircase, for example, was heated from an air chamber in the basement, with warm air rising through a grate on the ground floor. At the entrance, a panel of little doorbell buttons was paired with an intercom speaker and microphone – a charming touch of high-tech for the era. Natural light floods the stairwell throughout the day, thanks to massive windows and a skylight made with Luxfer glass blocks. And if that weren't impressive enough, the glass-cylinder elevators moving up and down like pistons truly make this building something special.
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38-40 Pozsonyi út
Possibly the most photogenic staircase in the city, this architectural gem has appeared in countless films, music videos, and commercials. But the buildings that made the name famous offer more than just stunning stairwells – they were groundbreaking in another way too. Thanks to architects Béla Hofstätter and Ferenc Domány, these buildings reimagined rental housing at a time when it posed serious design challenges. Constructed with top-quality, even luxurious materials, they're full of original details – from the signature blue hallway linings to the built-in wardrobes in the apartments. These aren't just homes – they're modernist masterpieces.
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(Cover photo: Major Kata - We Love Budapest)
