West-Balkan, which has been a fixture on the capital's culture scene - on and off - for almost a decade, will reopen in another unconventional location on March 12. This time, the pub is taking over the third and fourth floors of the old Skala Metro department store, opposite Nyugati railway station.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Gábor Arató, the architect for the project, said he didn't understand why the space in the Skala Metro, in the centre of such a frequented area, could have remained vacant for two decades.
The pub's "heart" is a central area with a capacity for 1,600 people, ideal for hosting concerts as well as theatre productions. The space will host its first theatre production - a premiere directed by András Dömötör - at the beginning of October. A piece based on a Sanskrit fairy tale and involving the jazz musician Mihály Dresch will follow.
