It’s true! Many celebrities come to Budapest for business, but leave a piece of their heart here. It turns out Budapest appeals to a broad range of types, so let’s just have a look at a few famous people who openly love Budapsts.

1) Allen Ginsburg. America’s most famous beatnik poet, and for a long time, America’s most famous poet, spent a goodly amount of time in Budapest before the Iron Curtain fell. His volume Howl is no less famous here in Hungary, where it is known as Üvöltés. He was close friends with local hero Hobo Blues Band singer László Földes. The band honored Ginsburg with a song “Leples Bitang (Allen Ginsburg, the Shrouded Stranger)”. We’ll save you the time of searching for it on Youtube: watch and enjoy below.

2) Bobby Fischer: Bobby Fischer’s extreme views and mental demise made him something of a pariah for many years before his death. But there was a time when he was hailed as a Cold War warrior and US hero on the scale of medal-winning Olympic athletes. Falling afoul of the US authorities over playing a chess match in Serbia, thereby violating US sanctions, Fischer holed up in Budapest, where he became enamored with the chess scene and took to coaching chess prodigies, the Polgar sisters, in his free time. Says Susan Polgar in the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal, “After Bobby arrived to Budapest, I often drove him and his companions around, showing him my beautiful hometown. We often had lunch or dinner at our place, and went out to restaurants together, which was one of his favorite things to do. He was especially fond of caviar and Japanese cuisine. Another thing Bobby loved in Budapest was our world-famous mineral baths.” He eventually left Hungary for Iceland, but his legacy in Budapest lives on through those he played with.

3) Yoko Ono: Like Ginsberg, she discovered Budapest in the 1980s, and traveled here with her then boyfriend Sam Habitoy, an American of Hungarian decent. There was a rumor going around in the late 90s that she was trying to lease or buy the then-abandoned synagogue on Rumbach street. You can hear her singing her late husband’s song “Imagine” in Budapest in the video below (you know it’s Hungary, because she speaks through an interpreter) in 1986. Imagine that!

4) Alice Cooper. The dark lord of Heavy Metal has gone on record as having a case of the warm fuzzies for Budapest. Quoting his wife, he proclaims it is “more romantic than Paris. There is something about Budapest that is very warm.” We are still looking for the ‘Old Town’ maze he is referring to, but who are we to contradict a man who has been touring the world as a star act for over 40 years? Have a look at the full interview below, where he gushes about his fondness for the classical beauty of the city and its superior gulyás (no surprise, he likes it hot and spicy)!

Flatpack Films has many years of experience dedicated to offering expert servicing. It has brought the best of Hungary to countless brands, agencies, and production companies through its unique locations, exceptionally skilled crews, top of the line equipment and technical solutions. Backed by an impeccable track record, Flatpack Films has worked with world-class clients including Samsung, Samsonite, Toyota, Braun, Chivas Regal and many more - bringing their projects to life through a highly bespoke approach.