Transformation of former socialist industrial landscapes in Budapest

Melinda Harlov-Csortán

doi:10.47785/urbana.9.2021

Abstract

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, used to host numerous and diverse types of industrial activities. Their imprints on the urban fabric became especially significant during the socialist period due to the top-down decision of transferring the profile of the country from agricultural to industrial. They were realized in factories, management buildings, at huge areas supporting transport of goods on water or by trains. Moreover, districts were dedicated to the industrial workers and incorporated education, health and leisure services as well. Since the political change in 1989, most of these factories and organizations shrank then completely stopped to operate, but their premises have experienced a more varied after-life. The text introduces examples for almost entire physical elimination, complete functional change and even continuous musealizations of former industrial sites in Budapest. The investigation is based on the analysis of diverse written documents (such as policies, scientific evaluations and media coverage) as well as on-site research. Through the case study analyses from Budapest, Hungary that focus on the period between 1989 and 2016, the paper identifies general approaches of urbanization in the post-socialist time regarding to former industrial sites and the major challenges that threaten the valuation of these tangible and intangible reminiscences of the past.

Highlights

In the last twenty to thirty years, cities around the world have experienced wide ranging influences of economic globalization, deindustrialization and democratization. These influences seem to have even stronger impact on post-socialist cities. The former industrial buildings and sites have been affected by these general changes
In the case of Budapest, between 1960s and 1980s the industrial workforce dropped by 50%
Another common practice of refunctioning extensive former industrial sites is the establishment of 21st century leisure landscapes, such as the clustering of mega shopping center with a theme park and other visitors’ facilities

Summary

Introduction

In the last twenty to thirty years, cities around the world have experienced wide ranging influences of economic globalization, deindustrialization and democratization. Elimination and deterioration Having gone through the traumatic process of declining employment and downgrading of environmental quality, together with the ideological connotations (being associated with the communist past), the former industrial locations in Central and Eastern Europe have even more challenges to identify and perform a new phase in the post-socialist era (Tsenkova and Nedović-Budić 2006) Such difficulties are even more intense in a capital, where both spatial needs and public and political interests in beautifying the past are almost constant (Kliems and Dimitrieva 2010). Another common practice of refunctioning extensive former industrial sites is the establishment of 21st century leisure landscapes, such as the clustering of mega shopping center with a theme park and other visitors’ facilities. Until 2003, the museum was operated by retired factory members, who had outstanding knowledge about the location, the objects and the processes, they were less trained in museology and the management of

11 They introduce the careers of the leading figures of the foundry

Findings

Conclusion