Baby hatches, where parents can anonymously abandon unwanted newborn infants, are making a comeback in Europe. Earlier this month, a UN committee expressed serious concerns over child abandonment in the European Union, where some 200 modern-day “foundling wheels” are operational in 11 member states. According to the Hungarian Department of Child and Youth Protection, forty… Continue »

Erzsébet tér in the heart of Budapest became a massive building site shortly after the change of regime in 1989. By 1992 the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest had already opened there as the city’s first Western-style luxury hotel. The Budapest Times spoke to its General Manager, the Dutchman Emile Bootsma, about the past 20 years… Continue »

Outdoor venues with a large screen are likely to be crowded this Sunday evening for the Euro 2012 football championship final between holders and world champions Spain and the winner of the other semi-final between Germany and Italy (taking place as this issue of The Budapest Times went to press). Spain beat Portugal after extra… Continue »

The 20th International Gastroblues Festival will take place in the town of Paks (in the shadow of Hungary’s only nuclear power plant) from this Monday 2 July to Sunday 8 July. This year’s event, which gathers music, wine and gastronomy, will host performances by international artists such as Rick Wakeman and The English Rock Ensemble,… Continue »

It’s round, it’s small, it’s got a hole in it and, at least in Budapest, it’s rare. The bagel is one of a number of things that can be found in Dzsem, a small bakery in a side street of District V just steps away from Széchenyi István tér (square). One of several Hungarian words… Continue »

Despite a construction moratorium that the government calls Pláza Stop, shopping centre development has not ground to a complete halt. The National Economy Ministry has so far exempted 28 investments from the ban, which came into force on 1 January this year. Meanwhile, the ministry has turned down 31 of the 82 applications submitted since… Continue »

The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance appears to be pressing on with an apparent bid to erase all memory of Hungary’s communist past. Lawmaker Bence Stágel filed a bill last Friday that aims to outlaw the use of names linked to the former one party state. The past two years has seen numerous public spaces renamed,… Continue »

An MEP of the far-right party Jobbik defended himself this week after being “outed” as having Jewish ancestry. Csanád Szegedi gave an interview to the Jobbik newspaper Barikád in which the 29-year-old nationalist denied there was any tension between him and Jobbik leader Gábor Vona. He stressed his Hungarian folk credentials and said he was… Continue »

Interview with Sven Lehnert, CEO of Manz Hungary Kft. The company Manz’s impressive size and international presence belie its relative youth. This month the firm, which is still predominantly owned by founder Dieter Manz, celebrated its 25th birthday at the head office in Reutlingen, Germany.  The company has also been active in Hungary since 2004… Continue »

Summer usually means music festivals but film buffs can also find entertainment to their liking with showings of Hungarian, Chinese and French films (with English sub-titles) over the next few days. Hungarian Hungarian classics from the 1960s to the 21st century are screened until Sunday at Örökmozgó Cinema. Growing up after 1956 (Time Stands Still,… Continue »