"Grand Café Budapest"

The café is more than a catering establishment: from 1700 to 1949, it was one of the most important arenas of bourgeois everyday life. This is where political and business life seethed, newspaper editorial offices operated, the most diverse groups of people met round tables and political parties and sporting associations were formed. Running a café was considered an independent and respected profession, with a trade association, training for apprentices, a headquarters and a trade press. The cafés were served by a sizeable network of related industries and businesses (coffee importers, coffee roasters, manufacturers of tableware, textiles, billiard tables, cards etc.).

Using memorabilia and visual material from public and private collections, the exhibition and the accompanying catalogue, attempt to give as full a picture as possible of the old - and in part the new - Budapest cafés. We will present their architectural history, interior design, characteristic items of furniture and objects used and the community of café owners and their customers.