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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budapest's Palace District | 5/5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest's_Palace_District | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T16:01:32.329935+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Since 1989 == Despite the occasional acts of disdain and vandalism shown by the communist regime towards Budapest's historical fabric, the vast majority of the Palotanegyed's pre-World War II buildings survived war, revolution, Soviet occupation and the socialist decades. At the same time, by the early post-communist period, the Józsefváros had acquired a reputation amongst Hungarians as the poorest and most crime-ridden of the Pest districts. This reputation reflected the dilapidation and poverty especially of the outer part of the district (i.e. east of the Józsefkörút) and the proportionately high population of typically poor gypsies in that area. This reputation coloured perceptions of the whole of Józsefváros, including, probably unfairly, the Palotanegyed. It was ironic given that historically the area had been one of the wealthiest parts of the city. One of the early decisions of the post-1989 democratic authorities was to restore some pre-communist street names. Horánszky utca and Ötpacsirta utca reappeared as did Rökk Szillárd, although, oddly, only at its southern end. Bródy Sándor utca, Puskin utca, Somogyi Béla (at its northern end) and Szabó Ervin tér remained unchanged. The 1930 statue of Count Nandor Zichy in front of what was his palace on Lőrinc pap tér returned. Since the mid-1990s, the Palotanegyed's fortunes have steadily recovered. Many of the district's palaces have been restored, and slowly other buildings have followed suit. Local and international investors have seen that the area combines charm and inner-city convenience. And the Józsefváros local government has made much progress rebuilding the district's streets to make pedestrian-only areas, widen footpaths, rationalise parking, plant more trees and generally smarten the area up. The mainly pedestrian area from Cálvin tér, through Mikszáth Kálmán tér, Krúdy utca and Lőrinc pap tér now thrives with restaurants and cafes. On the other hand the current left-wing Pikó Józsefváros administration has been weaker than other Budapest local governments in relation to anti-graffiti policies. Graffiti vandalism in the district and a failure by authorities to ensure its removal has become more evident in recent years. Promising news for the district came with Budapest mayor Karácsony's announcement in early 2021 of his development plans for the city over the next seven years. These include long-overdue improvements to Rákóczi út and Üllői út, both bordering one side in the Palace District. Despite being lined with magnificent buildings, both have become unlovely major roads, difficult for pedestrians to cross and with long stretches treeless. While the plan is currently short on detail, the stated aim will be to reduce road traffic, to give preference to public transport, to provide wider pedestrian areas and better provision for cycling and to plant more trees. The long empty and neglected turn of the 20th century former Hungarian Association of Civil Servants building at Puskin utca 4 and the neighbouring beer hall and garden at Puskin utca 6 are currently undergoing restoration and redevelopment.
== The Palotanegyed Palaces ==
== External links == Media related to Palotanegyed at Wikimedia Commons
== References ==