Making a Splash: The Hilarious Plan to Turn Budapest’s 8th District into the Venice of Hungary

In a surprising turn of events, a Mexican vlogger living in Budapest has proposed a novel idea to revamp the city’s notorious 8th district, also known as Józsefváros. Orlando, better known by his Instagram handle @orli.fans, recently posted a video suggesting that the district should be flooded to transform it into the “Venice of Hungary.”

The idea quickly gained traction, with both Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony and Józsefváros Mayor András Pikó reacting to the proposal. In his video, Orlando humorously pointed out that a run-down building in Venice looked beautiful simply because it was surrounded by water. He then proposed flooding Józsefváros, starting with Blaha Lujza Square, to achieve a similar effect.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Mayor Pikó actually responded to Orlando’s idea in a private message, which the vlogger gleefully shared in a follow-up video. Mayor Karácsony, on the other hand, simply liked the message, prompting Orlando to quip, “I guess he’s busy flooding the city.”

Followers of the vlogger have embraced the idea, posting “serious” queries about how the flooding would affect the timetable of the 4-6 trams and whether fast swimming lanes would replace bike lanes. Some even joked about the possibility of taking a gondola ride from Újlipótváros to the famous New York Café.

Interestingly, the idea of a canal system in the heart of Budapest is not entirely new. In the 19th century, there was a plan to create a navigable canal along the Danube’s left bank. Ferenc Reitter, a prominent engineer who played a crucial role in the city’s urban development, proposed the idea in 1842. The canal would have been eight feet deep and 120 feet wide, allowing the largest Danube ships of the time to pass through easily.

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding Reitter’s plan, the high cost of construction, estimated at 15 million forints, ultimately led to its abandonment. Instead, the city opted for the development of the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút), which was completed by the turn of the 20th century, featuring iconic buildings such as the Nyugati Railway Station, the Museum of Applied Arts, and the New York Palace.

While the idea of transforming Józsefváros into a Venetian-style district may seem far-fetched, it has undoubtedly sparked a humorous and imaginative discussion about the potential for urban renewal in Budapest. As Orlando put it, “I said it once, and I’ll say it again: Make Józsefváros Great Again!”