Out and about

by KC Bosco

With the fall semester in full swing, there’s also plenty going outside the classroom with which to engage the gray matter, plus loads of ways to keep in shape and just chill out. When it comes to the arts, there’s never a dull moment. Here are the highlights of some upcoming events, places to go, and also what to do in Budapest this autumn. Remember, always have your student ID card with you as it saves some cash.

Lovers of live performances should head for the The Palace of Arts for classical music, opera, jazz, which also excels in fine arts. There are reductions for students who just need to present his/her student ID and be at the concert venue or event one hour before the commencement time. You can get more information by contacting The Palace of Arts: www.mupa.hu/eng or e-mail: info@mupa.hu.

On October 10th at Hole Club, the WAMP Sunday Art Market will be showcasing contemporary Hungarian design from jewelry to textiles and ceramics. This marks a great opportunity for students to buy truly Hungarian design stuff for very reasonable prices. You can window shop if you want, there’s no harm in that. For further information log-on to www.wamp.hu.

The Hungarian National Gallery at the Buda Palace has an impressive collection all the way from the medieval and renaissance stone carvings to 20^th century works. There is an exhibition currently going on there (until February 2011) entitled “The collection within The Collection”. It is about illustration and advertising design as shown in a collection of prints and drawings, which deals with print making and drawings associated with the art of printing in early 20^th century Hungary with works from famous artists like Mihaly Biro, Sandor Bortnyik, and Zsuzsa Beck.

If you are a movie fan, then get on board the movie train at Palace Cinemas. They have the latest films from Hollywood and the rest of the world. Most of the movies are translated into Hungarian but you can find the latest English movies at Mom Park on the Buda side and Westend City Center on the Pest side. There are discounts for students. Do not miss the controversial new movie about the founding of Facebook called “The social network”. So, get your cold drinks and popcorn ready, it is going to be a long ride. For information regarding the latest movies log-on to www.palacecinemas.hu/eng.

There’s a great variety of recreation for students available in Budapest, especially at weekends. Skateboarding, roller-skating, playing tennis, football and bowling are just for starters. There’s are nice bowling alleys at the Mammut Plaza on the 2nd floor; and the Strike Bowling Club at Budafoki ut 111-113. One can also carefully skateboard at the picturesque Heroes Square and around the City Park, or go to Gorzenal: at III Arpad fejedelem utca 46. Tennis lovers can choose from countless good quality tennis courts in Budapest, while the game can be played all through the year. In the summer a court can cost just HUF 2000 to rent per hour, while in the winter it is somewhat more expensive.

Szabó Ervin Könyvtár

by Chaili Beite

Can’t concentrate at home? Is your roommate too noisy? Do you need books for further reference? These are some of the problems that college students encounter when they try to work at home. It may seem difficult to find a library that is: near the college campus; rich in resource books in Hungarian, English and other languages; and one where you can also study for free. The Szabó Ervin Könyvtár, which is Budapest’s central and largest library, more than satisfies all these requirements, plus it’s a stunning setting that’s rich in history and a real architectural beauty.  

The Szabó Ervin Könyvtár has on its shelves 800,000 children’s and adult books, more than 1,000 foreign and Hungarian magazines and newspapers, and 40,000 audiovisual and digital documents. The seven floor library is also divided into different sections. On each floor there are books, books, DVDs, and CD in different languages. Each floor has also got a different layout and structure.

On the ground floor the collection of videos and DVDs (films), CD-ROMs for language learning, encyclopedias, and popular science material are to be found. You can also find various music CDs, novels in various categories, the latest handbooks or references on law and business. The buffet is at the entrance of the library should you get hungry from all that reading and studying.

The children’s section is on the first floor. On the second floor there are a wide range of books about different subjects from general subjects, to natural science and history. On each subject there is also a subdivision such as social science, pedagogy in general education, history of pedagogy, and higher education. There is also an Internet room where you can use word, excel and surf the internet for a charge.

The reading room of literature and linguistics is located on the third floor. This is also where you can discover books about literature and the history of literature, as well as the latest dictionaries. The library also offers several literary works on CD and video recordings of theatre performances.

The general reading room is on the fourth floor for those who want to use the encyclopedia, reference sources and handbooks, biographies, as well as materials for history. There are also over 200 Hungarian and foreign periodical publications, weekly and daily papers which also extend to the fifth floor. English, and other foreign language books are mixed in with Hungarian books.

The 106 year old building designed by Count Frigyes Wenckheim was once called the Wenckheim palace, now the building is known as the Central Library of Budapest and Szabó Ervin Könyvtár. The historic details of the building may be hard to describe with words , but on the fourth floor there are still remains of the old palace rooms. Now they are called reading rooms, although the walls are still in their original ornate form.

Taking public transport to the library is also very easy. From Keleti you can catch the 7 bus or take the metro to Astoria or Kálvin tér. From Astoria you can jump on the 47 or 49 tram to Kálvin tér from there you can walk to the library.

Budapest Central Library, 1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1, Tel: 411-5000, www.fszek.hu

Szimpla still Open!

Vlada Sahovic feels our drinking rights impinged with the enforced early closing of one of Budapest’s fave nighspots, but wonders is it really a bad thing?

           In September one of our basic rights was taken away from us. We were forbidden to drink the fruits of the almighty Dionysus beyond midnight. We were to drink no more at our favorite spot... that is until one morning we arose from our slumber to the clear and loud voice of a generation, posted via that all encompassing network of the internet, which told us: “We Are Still Open!”

However, on reflection, after much ruckus surfaced in relation to Szimpla Kert’s new closing hours of midnight, we can’t really argue that it is too much of a shame and scandal in all objectiveness. We can understand the neighbors, who work all those draining early morning shifts, not wanting to listen to drunk foreigners screaming in the middle of the night. We can understand the local municipality trying to assist those people. We can also understand the management of Szimpla being pissed off because their earnings will be substantially decreased.

But there are other things that are less understandable in the whole situation.

Seeing as there are so many places in the wider center of Budapest where one can have fun and get intoxicated well into the early morning hours, why would limiting Szimpla Kert be such a dreadful thing?

First of all, Szimpla is often the host of multicultural, syncretic manifestations which, in light of the current world trends can be said to be an important factor for the social-cultural fabric of a nation. Szimpla tries to host and promote multicultural mixing and to serve as grounds for experimental modern art. Its decor hints at this. It also holds such happenings as board-game tournaments and second-hand sales. So what does this have to do with staying open and causing noise after midnight?

              Well, the sad state of affairs is the following: it is the current trend among the younger members of our society to stay out real late, even unfashionably late. Hence, places like Szimpla Kert earn most of their profits after the midnight hour. This is not a justification, just the bare state of affairs. An institution like of Szimpla cannot manage to host music and visual art performances, nor can they run a profitable business in the end, if they do not work the “rush hour”. That is perhaps why people protested.

Well, the sad state of affairs is the following: it is the current trend among the younger members of our society to stay out real late, even unfashionably late. Hence, places like Szimpla Kert earn most of their profits after the midnight hour. This is not a justification, just the bare state of affairs.

An institution like of Szimpla cannot manage to host music and visual art performances, nor can they run a profitable business in the end, if they do not work the “rush hour”. That is perhaps why people protested.

On Wednesday the 13th of September a small crowd gathered in front of the Erzsebetváros Municipal building to protest the new restrictions imposed upon Szimpla. Even a politician, called Gusztav Kecskés, running in the local elections came there to show his support for the youngsters. The group of thirty or so relatively tranquil people stood in front of the building and yelled out slogans and obscenities at the representatives of the municipality, who were probably sitting rather calmly in their chairs, unobstructed by the apparent murmur outside, which was in all likelihood blocked out by the sound of automobiles and public transportation). So as the thirty or so people disbanded after a mere 40 minutes or so of occasional shouting at closed doors, one could not but stay disillusioned and in thought.

Although there still seems to be a will for some sort of concrete, non-conformist action from today’s youth, it always seems to be connected either to some new forms of conceptual/consumer art, partying, fascistic socio-nationalist protests and plain vandalism, rights to freely express yourself and once more, the right to party. Although Szimpla Kert is dear to us all there might be other more pressing issues around. So as politicians spend their time buying popularity votes and young people continue protesting for their right to party, I wonder: what was Hungary’s GDP last year and how many Roma are hampered by domestic cultural views? Never mind: “One White Russian please!”

http://www.szimpla.hu/index3.htm