The Diver

A Búvár

VII. District (ERZSÉBETVÁROS) Pop Culture & Literature

An old-fashioned deep-sea diver in a heavy suit clutches an ornately decorated key, sitting on a stone hydrant at the corner of Dohány utca and Osvát utca, right next to the legendary New York Café. The oversized key even carries the outline of the café's logo.

According to legend, writer Ferenc Molnár threw the café's key into the Danube on opening night in 1894 so it would never close again – a lovely story whose exact truth can no longer be confirmed: Molnár was only 16 at the time, though already working as a journalist, so his presence isn't out of the question. What is documented, however, is a later event: in 2014, for the 120th anniversary, the current owners had a replica key thrown into the river.

Kolodko's diver, installed on 28 August 2019 as part of an official district trio together with Noah's Ark and the 14-Karat Race Car, now triumphantly presents the key – deliberately made just as big as he is – to passers-by.

AddressCorner of Dohány utca/Osvát utca, right next to the New York Palace.

GPS47.498960, 19.070756

Open in OpenStreetMap

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