Discover pre-World War II Budapest with these spectacular motion pictures – VIDEOS

Photo: video still form "Eltűnt Budapest 3. rész - Budapest"

In one of their latest creative projects, Animatiqua studio “reconstructed” Budapest’s buildings that were demolished in World War II or the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

In Budapest, many buildings have fallen victim partly to the destruction of World War II and partly to the political concepts related to the “Sovietisation” after 1945, explains Sándor Sólymos, associate professor at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design and the former vice-rector of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts.

Devastation of World War II

Between 24 December 1944 and 13 February 1945, the Soviet troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front laid siege to Budapest for 50 days. The siege of Budapest was one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles of World War II, as a result of which

27% of the capital’s nearly 40,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, including the building of the Pesti Vigadó, the Royal Palace, the Academy of Music, and the National Theatre’s original building, located on Kerepesi Street.

The Germans also destroyed all of the Danube bridges, adds Múlt-kor. Today, due to the construction of the metro, there is only a square on the site of the old building of the National Theatre. However, the real reason the building was not reconstructed was that the theatre served as the embodiment of the nation and tradition, and it was in the way of the Soviet regime, writes Hello Magyar. According to PestBuda, other buildings also fell victim to ideological destruction. For example, the building of the Royal Stable and the Royal Riding Hall in Csikós Courtyard were demolished after the war.

“Disappeared Budapest” project

Within the framework of a special project, Animatiqua studio selected numerous photos from the collection of Fortepan, a free, curated Online Photography Archive, and transformed them into motion picture animations, thus bringing Budapest’s buildings that were demolished in World War II or the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 back to life.

The production took almost 600 hours, and about 30 photos were animated, in some cases using 3D technology.

The parts obscured by trees, people or vehicles were replaced or recreated from other sources, relying on repetitive patterns.

The old building of the National Theatre, the building of the Headquarters of the Defense Forces, the monumental Industrial Hall in the City Park, the Church of Mary Magdalene, and the tram tracks on the former Elisabeth Bridge are just a few of the lost buildings that come to life in the mesmerising videos.

The photos span about a hundred years, from the middle of the 19th century to World War II.

You can watch the three videos below: