Zsa Zsa: a star on Hollywood Boulevard, a museum in Budapest

Glamorous dresses and furniture and the edition of "Life" magazine with Zsa Zsa Gábor on the cover are among the exhibits at the museum dedicated to Hungary’s most famous film star that opened recently in Budapest’s District XV.

Weekly Fortepan – The fashion of resistance

Blue jeans acid-washed in bathtubs, etc – anything but mass-produced items!

Fashion has been a favourite topic of discussion even back in Socialist times when bold dreams met a rather modest reality and modest means compared to the present or to the Western world. However, in spite of the fact that there was hardly anything ...

Weekly Fortepan – The untold success story of the cyclists in the countryside

A little Amsterdam on the Great Hungarian Plain

In the minds of most Hungarians, bicycle riding is associated with the Netherlands or Denmark. In fact, it has a long tradition in Hungary, too, and – thanks to the cyclists of the countryside – Hungary is one of the top bicycle-riding countries in ...

How the socialist food industry reformed everyday life in Hungary

The ‘modern’ diet

The second half of the 20th century saw major changes in food consumption worldwide: new types of ready and ready-to-cook meals, frozen and canned goods appeared on the shelves transforming daily life. Although in the West these new technologies boosted the lucrative character of ...

Holocaust survivor receives Hungarian honour

Lily Ebert, a 98-year-old Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust living in London, has been decorated with Hungary's Order of Merit, Knight's Cross, in recognition for her efforts in Holocaust education.

Weekly Fortepan – Even colours are different in the West

The death agony of capitalism in colour photos

Passing by Hegyeshalom border village between Austria and Hungary, colours get a different shade. Upon leaving the border and the monotone greyness of the Comecon, colour pigments heighten, neon lights pull you in and lip gloss becomes lively on women’s lips – even though ...

Not your average expat

‘Pioneer’ Japanese pianist is at home in Budapest

Foreigners the world over may find they feel happier in their adoptive countries than they did in their homelands. The explanations are various: from climate to culture, and from work opportunities to a personal rapport with the locals.