In the early 2000s bars, clubs, cultural establishments opened in ruined buildings, called ruin pubs (or ruin bars) and started to populate the historical Jewish district of Budapest. 10 years after the idea popped out, ruin pubs became the beating heart of Budapest's nightlife and cultural scene. The core concept of the fellows at Szimpla - the first ever ruin bar in Budapest, opened in 2001 - wa
s simple, get a rusty-old ruined building, fill it with retro, contemporary, designer stuff and crazy ideas. (not surprisingly, szimpla is the hungarian equivalent of simple) This phenomenon proved to be so utterly successful at creating an atmosphere of creativity and fun, that it became a trendsetter and a whole wave of ruin pubs started to arose upon this concept. If you are looking for the best of Budapest ruin pubs, you have came to the right place!
