According to organisers, the exhibition offers visitors “a taste of 300 years of coffee history – from camel caravans to the new wave.”

This is the first major temporary exhibition dedicated to the history of coffee in Hungary since 2010, and it is accompanied by a diverse programme of coffee-themed events.

These include workshops, concerts, guided tours, museum education activities, and appearances by special guests. A pop-up “new wave” café will also be operating at the venue.

The organisers aimed to create the most comprehensive exhibition on coffee ever presented in Hungary, bringing together historical artefacts, coffee machines and multimedia installations in authentically designed spaces.

A Journey Through Hungary’s Coffee Culture

The exhibition, titled Fő a kávé in Hungarian, guides visitors through key moments in the history of coffee culture. The journey begins with the Siege of Vienna in 1683, a turning point often associated with the spread of coffee in Central Europe, and continues through the flourishing coffee house culture of Pest.

Visitors can explore:

* the first recorded coffee trade in Pest
* the lively world of Reform Era coffee houses
* the famous Pilvax Café, a meeting place for writers and revolutionaries
* the golden age of Budapest’s café culture
* socialist-era cafés
* and today’s modern specialty coffee movement

The exhibition also highlights everyday coffee traditions, including how black coffee was brewed in a pot during the time of Sándor Petőfi, Hungary’s celebrated 19th-century poet.

Interactive Experiences

Designed to be highly interactive, the exhibition allows visitors to step into different historical roles connected to coffee culture.

Through audio recordings, film clips, anecdotes, games and hands-on installations, guests can try their hand at being:

* coffee merchants
* street vendors
* café writers
*  or modern baristas

Dozens of coffee machines and historical artefacts are displayed throughout the exhibition space.

Coffee Events and Special Programmes

The exhibition will also host a series of themed events centred around the world’s second most consumed beverage.

The programme begins with the opening weekend event “Ziccerben a zacc”, followed by “Így kávéztak ők” (“This is How They Drank Coffee”) on 15 March.

Later in March, the popular Coffee Bar Bazaar will take place, while coffee expert Noémi Szuna, author of Around the World with a Cup, will regularly participate in panel discussions, guided tours and summer outdoor events connected to the exhibition.

Visitors will also be able to join special guided tours led by cultural historian Noémi Saly and the exhibition’s curator, writer-historian Gyula Zeke.

A Collaborative Effort

The exhibition was made possible with the support of several major Hungarian cultural institutions, including:

* the Hungarian Museum of Technology and Transport
* the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Hospitality
* the Museum of Applied Arts
* the Kiscelli Museum
* the Museum of Ethnography
* the Petőfi Literary Museum
 

Representatives from the Hungarian coffee industry also contributed expertise and artefacts, helping to bring this extensive exploration of coffee culture to life.

More: 
fo-a-kave--idoszaki-kiallitas
 

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