Rising from the ruins
Two women chat over a drink in Szimpla Kert, a bar set up 12 years ago in an empty house in the decaying inner city of Budapest. From humble beginnings, Szimpla sparked a new wave of nightlife in the city, becoming the first of many “ruin pubs” that sprung up in formerly abandoned buildings and helped attract floods of tourists to the Hungarian capital. But the bars are not universally popular: they have caused serious resentment among locals, who complain about the disturbance they cause.
A picture of a saint hangs on a graffiti-covered wall inside Szimpla.
Customers by the bar are served drinks.
An eclectic mix of decorations fills the venue.
Customers chat with one another.
Women enjoy a concert in another quirky Budapest venue, named Kek Lo (Blue Horse), which is just opposite Szimpla.
A customer leans back as she watches the show.
Patrons walk through the ruined interior of Szimpla.
A man uses his phone on Kazinczy Street, now home to dozens of "ruin pubs".
A couple hug on Kazinczy street.
A woman stands in front of the garden of the Mika Tivadar Mulato bar, one more venue on the same street.
A man walks by Ellato Kert, another "ruin pub".
