How Hungary's Painted Homes Rebelled Against The Socialist System

As a reaction to bleak uniformity, many homeowners began painting their homes in vibrant designs.

I hope you enjoy these houses and this article as much as I do. I love anything from Hungary, as it is a little bit of my heritage. My Nana was born in Budapest and at the age of 5, came over on a boat to the US with her 6 brothers and sisters, and until she came of age, lived out her childhood in an orphanage.

As a reaction to the bleak uniformity of suburban housing in post-war Hungary, many homeowners painted their houses in vibrant designs. Somewhere between the whimsy of Hungarian folk art and geometric constructivism being embraced by artists like Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, the decoration of the simple homes gave them an individualistic life.

Photographer Katharina Roters documented as many of these houses as she could find over a decade. The series is compiled in Hungarian Cubes: Subversive Ornaments In Socialism, published recently by Park Books. The bilingual tome in English and German includes 123 images, as well as texts exploring the significance of the phenomenon. Known as “Magyar Kocka,” or sometimes “Kadar Cube” referencing the country’s 32-year communist leader Janos Kadar, the typical cube home was a single story with an attic, and an almost entirely flat, colorless façade. The cubes started popping up in the 1920s as a cheap, quick housing solution, and monotonously replicated through almost every village.

Yes, some of the houses look "kitschy", but it's history, so I don't mind it. There was one I saw on another website that had an angel painted between two windows on a beige looking home, just divine for me. I would so want to live in one of these homes. I love history and knowing the history behind the homes, I would like them even more.

Wow, great memories. I was in Nyiregyhaza for two months in 1993. I do not recall this detailed artwork on homes at the time, but I did see many houses painted in bright colors for the same reason. The old dull gray shades were losing ground fast. Most people were very happy for the new age they were entering. People were very nice and smiling a lot. I'll never forget that.

originally posted by: Blastoff
Wow, great memories. I was in Nyiregyhaza for two months in 1993. I do not recall this detailed artwork on homes at the time, but I did see many houses painted in bright colors for the same reason. The old dull gray shades were losing ground fast. Most people were very happy for the new age they were entering. People were very nice and smiling a lot. I'll never forget that.

Thank you for sharing your memories with me. I'd love to go there and see the country, but I'd doubt I'd be able to on my funds. For now I contend myself with wonderful pictures and soaking in as much culture as I can from my Nana's home world.