Since around the millennium, ruin pubs (romkocsma) have sprung up all over Budapest in the most unlikely places, turning abandoned buildings and their courtyards into atmospheric late-night drinking dens, shabby furniture into vintage chic and changing our ideas about what makes a watering hole hot forever. Our new series center on these fascinating and truly Hungarian bars, with the first installment being Tűzraktér.
Tűzraktér’s come a long way since it first opened in 2005 in Tűzoltó utca in an enormous former factory building, providing a spacious home both for artists and their audiences. It has moved to Hegedűs utca since then, this time transforming an ex-elementary school and its adjoining courtyard into a buzzing cultural meeting point and quirky nightclub with hand-made design features, tatty furniture and an airy, squat-like atmosphere, made for some great late-night exploring.
The old listed building houses a theater, a gallery, a concert hall, a rehearsal space, a studio, a cafe and a night club, all under one roof. Tűzraktér, utilizing all of its 5,300-square-meter space, is about bringing diverse art forms together, a meeting place for people who think alike and a space for mutual inspiration. Feeding the fire of creativity, it serves as an artist collective, an integral addition to the capital’s contemporary art scene. By the evening, though, expect a mixed-bag of drinkers, performers, dogs, flame-throwers, cook-offs, a free clothing swap-shop and live music.
Scores of exciting events happen at Tűzraktér all year round, such as exhibitions, theater performances, dance shows, lectures, book launches, festivals and fashion shows as well as gigs and hard-to-forget parties. They even dish out Hungarian lessons to foreigners whose Magyar skills are not up to scratch on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You are also encouraged to let the creative juices flow by joining their workshops, bringing your little ones as well if you like.
If you’ve over-gorged yourself on a feast of culture during the day, then you might need a fröccs to wash it all down in the evening, and thus like the true transmogrification specialists that they are, Tűzraktér becomes a night club. DJs are a spinning, drinks are a pouring and the artists and their audiences are a mingling ‘til 2 in the morning.
Tűzraktér
Tel.: +36.70.321.3536
www.tuzrakter.hu