Urbex In Europe - Why Budapest Is The Best Place For The Urban Exploration
We mentioned it a thousand times, but never enough to remind us that Budapest is full of interesting urbex locations. The first abandoned location, that we visited abroad, was exactly in Budapest. We will never forget our trip to the Kelenföld Power Plant. It has changed our lives, and then we decided to travel and explore abandoned places all over the world. On the same trip, we took amazing photos also in the Red Star Train Graveyard. Next we returned to Budapest several times, and always we were in something spectacular like Óbuda Gas Works or Inota Power Plant. This time we visited the beautiful brick building where a lot of beer was produced.
The Old Budapest Brewery - How Did We Get Inside The Abandoned Building?
During our trip we learnt that it is worth it to talk with people. According to us, it is better and safer to have a permission visit. We were searching for someone who could help us get inside. We met some security guards, who informed us that the person who holds the keys would arrive soon. So we waited one hour, two, three… We stopped this never ending story, took a break for the city sightseeing, and returned there in the evening. Then we met a young guy there, who showed us the entrance at the back of the building. That was sufficient. So let’s begin the adventure!
The Fővárosi Serfőző Brewery - What Is The Story Behind The Abandoned Building?
The building inside was pretty interesting. Maybe none of the equipment has survived, but the architecture was pretty interesting and worth capturing. But what exactly happened here when the brewery was working? We did our research, and learned some interesting facts about this place. It was erected in 1912 and a company called Fővárosi Serfőző operated here.This was already the sixth brewery in Kőbánya (District X of Budapest). It was a good investment for the banks and in 1913 they designed magnificent factory buildings with the German architecture professor Zimmermann. Then the brewery expansion started.
The Mysterious Face On The Building - Was It The Brewery Logo?
The brick factory building was ready months later, so on March 15, 1914, they toasted with beer brewed in the factory during the handover. They also built a malt plant and a beer bottling plant. On the red brick building that is still standing today, you can see a large mosaic decoration of King Matthias made by the Zsolnay company, which became the trademark of the factory, as Matthias beer was produced here. Later, the Hősök beer appeared in addition to Mátyás beer. The factory was bought by the Dreher company in 1943. Sounds familiar? Of course! Dreher brewery works nowadays, and if you go to Hungary you will get the Dreher’s beer in each pub.
The Dreher’s Brewery History - How The Building Became Abandoned?
After World War II, the factory was nationalized, and from 1948 the plant of the Fővárosi Konzervipari National Vállalat was moved here. From 1958, it operated under the name Budapesti Konzervgyár, also producing boxed ready meals. After privatization, the plant continued to operate under the name Globus Konzervgyár. The cannery operated until 2009, when the factory was closed, because Globus sold its trademarks, but the company’s offices still operate here. All the factory buildings are rented out as warehouses and factories. We visited the abandoned part of the complex, and took a lot of urbex photos there. Check them below, and we hope you’ll enjoy them.
