The Blanket
This is the city of Gödöllő, Hungary. It’s only 15 miles from Budapest, the capitol of
Hungary. When dusk comes, it turns to sleep, like all small suburban cities do. But it
can never sleep in the dark for it’s under the blanket of light that stretches out from
Budapest in the nights.
As the public transport stops just before midnight, the small town gets cut from
Budapest, making it unreachable for anyone without a car. It’s only the glowing
blanket in the sky that reminds the inhabitants of the silent and sleeping small town
of how close the metropolis and it’s buzzing nightlife is.
It’s mainly a problem of young people without cars, but with a huge cultural
appetite. Everything from concerts to extra classes is vacuumed to Budapest by
it’s population of two million. Budapest is easily reachable by public transport in the
daytime, but not after midnight. This means leaving a concert before the last song,
standing up from a conversation in a pub, or having to rush out of the cinema to
catch the last train.
This issue isn’t even visible for the decision makers, or for anybody with a car and
driving license. There is no above average poverty, no above average crime rates,
nothing that stands out on paper. This is a hidden issue of the young people who
want to live the life they statistically live, the life of young urban inhabitants.
View of Gödöllő, Hungary in the night with the blanket of light stretching out from Budapest in the background.
Path leading through the park in the center of Gödöllő, Hungary.
Abandoned engine house and workshop for the engines of the suburban railway connecting Budapest and Gödöllő.
View of the baroque castle in the center of Gödöllő, Hungary.
Pub called Auditorium No. 8. open but empty near the university in Gödöllő, Hungary.
Creek running through the park in the city center of Gödöllő, Hungary.
