Buildings Tell Tales
Budapest is a city of grand landmarks – but it has a secret treasury behind the façades. By exploring its staircases, courtyards, and passageways, we gain a more layered and tactile sense of the city. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Budapest was one of the world’s most dynamically developing metropolises. During this period, thousands of elegant residential buildings were constructed, many of which still stand today. Through more than 2,000 visits, Vincent Baumgartner's project Buildings Tell Tales aims to photograph these sites with precision and care. This curated photo book brings together the most evocative perspectives Vincent encountered, taking you on a journey into a lesser-seen Budapest. Vincent not only captures the common spaces but also focuses on the overlooked details that make history tangible: the remnants of craftsmanship, worn steps, cracked plaster, faded wall paintings. This is not about documenting ruins, but about preserving lived-in spaces where traces of the past remain embedded in the architecture. Let yourself be drawn in by the details. The imprints of those who came before – every worn surface has something to say. Buildings Tell Tales.
(The photo album is accompanied by a preface in three languages: English, French, and Hungarian.)
