The Ruin Courtyards of Erzsebetvaros

The seventh district is built of courtyard blocks: four storeys around an open light-well, with galleried walkways running around each floor. Many stood empty and unrepaired into the 1990s. From 2002 onwards a series of them were reopened as temporary public spaces on short leases, cleaned but not restored, filled with salvaged furniture, junkyard objects, planting and installations by local artists. The oldest, Szimpla Kert, has stayed on the same site since 2004 and now runs a Sunday farmers' market in its courtyard. The style spread to other cities and gave the district its present character.

What you actually see

• The courtyard architecture - galleried light-wells, four storeys, the district's basic building type.
• The salvage interiors - mismatched furniture, junkyard objects and hand-painted walls.
• The Sunday market - a farmers' market held in the largest of the courtyards.
• The street art - large painted gable ends on the surrounding blocks.

When to go

Year-round; the courtyards are covered or partly roofed. Daytime is when you can actually see the buildings and photograph them - most open from late morning. Weekday afternoons are quiet. Sunday morning brings the market. The district changes character entirely after dark.

Honest expectations

The oldest courtyards are now firmly on the tour circuit, and prices inside are far above the district's normal level. This is a residential area, and the tension between night traffic and the people who live upstairs has been running for years, with periodic restrictions on late opening. Buildings are genuinely unrestored - expect peeling plaster, uneven floors and basic toilets. Several of the newer courtyards are pastiches of the originals.

Nearby

The Dohany Street synagogue is at the edge of the district; Andrassy Avenue is two streets north.