Russian cultural life in Budapest

The Russian community in Hungary

There is a large Russian expat community living in Hungary. According to a 2011 census, there are roughly 13 000 Russians in the country. 6 000 of these are living in Budapest. There are also several Russian clubs and organisations throughout Hungary, the list of which can be found here.

Cultural center

The Russian Cultural Center on the famous Andrássy boulevard offers a large variety of cultural programs every week. You can find everything from classical concerts through podium discussions to theater performances. The program is published on their website at the beginning of each month.

Theater

The Russian Cultural Center houses the Russian Studio Theatre in Budapest, a troupe of enthusiastic amateurs. They are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2017. They mostly perform Russian classics like Bulgakov and Gogol. In addition, you can also see performances of modern writers like Gorin and Razumovskaya in their repertoire.

Newspaper

For keeping informed about local news in Russian, follow Hungary’s Russian-language newspaper, the Венгерский Курьер. It regularly covers the most important developments in Hungarian and international economy. It also has features on culture, tourism and sports.

Library

The National Library of Foreign Literature by the Danube in the 5th district houses houses a sizeable collection of Russian-language books and periodicals.