1980s' Hungary...
..... when the Lada was king of the road, the Rubik cube was still only known within Hungary's borders - and no-one had the slightest idea communism would ever end.
Alongside the red star, the Trabant is maybe the most iconic symbol of communism and could be seen all around Hungary.
Made of recycled materials, and with its two-stroke engine, it belched out clouds of smoke polluting the city. It had no fuel gauge meaning drivers had to keep their own record of when they tanked up and how far they had gone. |
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Above is an original TV advertisement for the Trabant (in German) - it also shows the conditions of roads in East Germany at that time!
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Music : there was plenty of live music, but unfortunately little was filmed at the time. Below are a couple of examples of artists popular in the late 70s-80s (and they still fill stadiums today). The lyrics of their songs were crucial, often hiding political meaning.
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Koncz Zsuzsa began her career in the 60s and has been filling concert halls ever since.
Some of her songs are settings of much-loved Hungarian poems; some are love songs and some barely hide political messages. More songs here. |
Zoran epitomises the Hungary I fell in love with back in 1978. This song is a tribute to Budapest, and gives a great view of the city's streets as they were at that time. Most of his lyrics were written by his brother - poetry set to music, composed best of all by Presser (from the band LGT).
More songs here. |
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