How safe are the buildings in downtown Budapest? Heavy chunk of railing fell from balcony – photo

A piece of stone railing weighing several tens of kilograms has fallen from the façade of a residential building at 16–18 Dohány Street, narrowly avoiding what could have been a fatal accident involving a passer-by. Instead, it smashed through the roof and rear window of a Volkswagen Passat parked below. Unsurprisingly, the vehicle was declared a total write-off after the incident.

A balcony fragment fell — a miracle no tragedy occurred

A Telex reader reported that a substantial section of stone railing plummeted from the façade of a residential block in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter (also known as the party district) on Dohány Street. By sheer luck, no pedestrians were struck; the heavy fragment landed on a car parked at the roadside, crushing its roof and rear windscreen. Fortunately, no one was inside the vehicle at the time.

Budapest Police Headquarters said the accident occurred when a man leaned against the stone balustrade, causing part of it to break away and fall. Police have launched a criminal investigation on suspicion of negligent endangerment in the course of official duties against an unknown perpetrator. Emergency services swiftly dismantled the damaged section of the balcony railing and removed the exit handle to prevent residents from stepping out onto the affected balcony.

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Google Street View images from May 2009 show that the entire façade underwent extensive renovation between 2014 and 2018, completely altering the building’s appearance. It is suspected that the large central terrace, also refurbished during this period, is the likely source of the fallen fragments. The terrace’s position could explain why debris landed not on the pavement but on the parked cars below.

How dangerous are downtown residential buildings?

Such incidents are thankfully rare, though not without precedent. According to HVG, in January 2022 the concrete railing of a balcony on Váci Road gave way, causing a woman leaning against it to fall to her death. In 2005, a similar accident occurred on Frankel Leó Street, where a 73-year-old woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Another serious incident took place in 2018 on Nagyfuvaros Street in Józsefváros, when a staircase collapsed beneath a resident, causing severe injuries.

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Preventing life-threatening hazards in residential buildings ultimately falls to the residents’ community rather than the local government or the state. Following Hungary’s regime change in 1989–90, many formerly state-owned apartments in the city centre became privately owned. With ownership comes legal responsibility for maintenance and upkeep, a duty clearly set out in law.

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