During my first few days in Budapest, I saw beautiful architecture, classical fountains and interesting statues. It wasn’t until I started exploring the Jewish district that I started to discover all types of colorful street art. I spent a lot of my time in Budapest exploring this area in search of colourful murals between sitting in quirky coffee shops and enjoying the lively atmosphere of the ruin bars and street food haven, Karavan. Much of the street art in the Jewish district was created as part of the Szines Varos street art festival which has been bringing artists from around the world to create beautiful art in Budapest’s streets since 2014. Eight to ten murals are added to Budapest’s street each year as part of the festival. These are just a few of the murals I encountered:

The well known toy puzzle, the Rubik’s Cube, was invented by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture, Erno Rubik, in 1974. This mural pays tribute to the inventor and the puzzle which is widely known as one of the best selling puzzle games.

This mural, entitled 6:3, commemorates the Hungarian 6:3 football win over England.

Angel Sanz Briz was a Spanish diplomat who became known as the Angel of Budapest. He helped about five thousand Hungarian Jews by issuing them with Spanish passports which prevented them from being deported to Auschwitz.

This dramatic memorial honours Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who is credited with saving approximately 62,000 Jews during World War II by issuing protective letters to 8,000 families. He also set up around 76 safe houses around Budapest for families seeking refuge.

This pretty landscape mural seamlessly blends into the background of a neighbourhood park and playground.

I didn’t know it at the time but many of the murals I encountered were painted by Neopaint Works Group which has been producing handpainted decorative murals for almost 15 years.

Whether it be to honour a remarkable person, commemorate a specific event or bit of Hungarian culture, or to just add a splash of colour to a neighbourhood, the street art I encountered in Budapest added something special to the Jewish District of Budapest.

Budapest also has lots of interest monuments and statues scattered throughout the city – Click here for Statues in Budapest.