Budapest’s world-famous pastry shop Ruszwurm may close its doors forever

Ruszwurm is one of Budapest’s oldest confectionery shops. One of the most iconic places in the Castle District, it is a favourite of locals and tourists alike. Now the future of this famous building is threatened in the midst of an alleged corruption case.

The owners of the Ruszwurm and Korona confectionery shops have been ordered to vacate their premises and hand over the former to the bailiffs on 9 May and the latter on 14 May, index.hu reports.

The municipality had previously planned to shut the buildings down on 4 December of last year, but the confectioneries survived for a few more months. Now, the latest news is that the two pastry shops could close for good in the upcoming days.

Ruszwurm is one of Budapest’s most iconic pastry shops – now, its long history may come to an end

The Ruszwurm confectionery is housed under 7 Szentháromság Street in the Buda Castle District, in the heart of the Hungarian capital. It was first opened in 1827 under the stewardship of Ferenc Schwabl and has survived several turbulent periods in the history of the country. The building stood strong not only during the 1848-49 War of Independence but also in the face of two World Wars and the considerable destruction they caused.

In 1990, Ruszwurm fell into foreign hands, but after some years, it came to be rented, and then eventually purchased by the Szamos family, namesake of the famous Szamos Marzipan.

Today, Ruszwurm takes you back in time: homely yet sophisticated, history comes alive among the furnishings that had been declared protected due to their cultural significance to the country. The cherry-wood bar, the gold table decorations on display, and the statues all evoke the charm of centuries past.

In the 1800s, the confectionery was a favourite haunt of noblemen, ministry officials, teachers, military officers, and engineers. At present, tourists and Budapest locals alike enjoy the traditional flavours of Ruszwurm treats.

The current conflict goes back years and might have sad consequences

As we wrote about it in THIS and THIS article, the story reaches back to at least 2019, when the district mayor candidate, Márta V. Naszályi approached Miklós Szamos, owner of the Ruszwurm confectionery and the Korona coffeehouse, and asked for financial support for her campaign.

“Before the elections, she offered that if the financial support was given, they would make a contract with me so that I could not be expelled, even with a criminal offence. The offer concerned two confectioneries, the Korona and the Ruszwurm. The mayor also stressed that if the subsidy did not happen, she would not protect me,” Szamos recalls.

Naszályi denied these allegations. According to the official response, the district had already terminated its lease agreement with the confectionery in 2015, and after years of refusing to vacate the premises, the district filed for the eviction of Ruszwurm in 2019. This all happened under the previous mayor, who Naszályi succeeded. After gaining office, she tried to settle the matter out-of-court, but no agreement was reached, and thus the lawsuit continued.

Szamos has now told Index that they plan to not carry out the bailiffs’ orders, declaring:

“If necessary, we will resist with force”.

He also stressed that the confectionery, which is protected by the state, is not owned by the municipality. “The land and the bricks are indeed theirs,” he said, but the tangible assets, the equipment, the property rights, are all owned by Szamos.

Szamos says that if his confectionery shops are closed, it will constitute national damage, in addition to 57 people being put out of work.

Indeed, whatever the background to the conflict may be, an important part of Hungarian history would disappear with the closure of Ruszwurm.

Read also:

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• Old but gold – Hungary’s oldest confectioneries are waiting for you with the most delicious desserts

Source: Index