Counter Culture, Consumerism and Ruin Pubs in Budapest – A Comparative Case Study

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This thesis aims to look into different perspectives in connection with ruin pubs in Budapest, such as authenticity, counter culture, consumerism, organizational structure, profit, missions and ideologies, and then compare them. Not much literature could be found on ruin pubs, since they are a relatively new phenomenon but already within the last 10 years they evolved and transformed into a wide spectrum. One of my aims was to define ‘ruin pub’ and make a typology according to my findings. Moreover I wanted to give detailed background information on the urban processes in the seventh district and present the causes that led to the boom of ruin pubs lately in Belső-Erzsébetváros. This involved interconnected factors, like the passive local government, the heritage protection of the dilapidated housing stock, gentrification process, low rents and lack of investors in the area. During my research I made interviews with ruin pub owners and employees, an expert on urban sociology and a prominent member of the ‘bike courier’ subculture. After the analysis I could identify three different types of ruin pubs: commercial, community and radical ones. While Szimpla turned into a commercialized venue, using its cultural side to attract visitors, Gólya and Auróra have deeper mission and values. Their differences can not only be seen in their organizational structure but also in their impact on the social groups they feel responsible for and aim to help. Gólya promotes a liveable alternative to neoliberalism. Auróra is more in line with grassroots organizations and NGOs, which could be a tool for forms of government to re-establish trust and cooperation with deprived social groups.