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Párisi Nagyáruház
The Paris Department Store ( formerly Párisi Nagyáruház ) was built in 1885 on the prestigious Andrássy avenue . The seven floored department store with it ’ s circa 500 employee was a central meeting point of the wealthier citizens in Budapest . After the II Word War the Paris Department Store was used as a book warehouse ( ironically part of the department store is currently operated as a book store ). The Paris Department Store functioned as a textile department store under the Divatcsarnok name from the nationalization period till 1999 . In 2005 it was bought by Orco Property Group which aimed to reopen it again as a luxurious store like the form of parisian shopping venues during the 18th and 19th centuries . However the plan was cancelled and finally the Paris Department Store was reopened as a business center with a book store and a coffee house in the former ball room ( Lotz-terem ).
For me the Paris Department Store has similar characteristics like Váci street and the Paris Court . The current condition of the department store is not a prestigious place of the city but it shows a really useless , provincial and irrelevant building picture in the center of Budapest . Contrary of the department store ’ s older function , nowadays we can ’ t see local citizens in the shops , only tourists who can see totally empty floors and cheap souvenirs and kitschy cliches as a representation of Budapest , Hungary and people who lives here .
My hipothetical work is about handmade postcards or notes secretly inserted in the books of the store , with some personal thoughs about Budapest , experiences of the locals which can show the ‘ real ’ side of the city .
archived photos : http :// www . lotzterem . hu / galeria / parizsi-nagyaruhaz-tortenete-kepekben