A look into the furniture department store in 1973: eternal autumn with dull colours © Tatabánya Megyei Jogú Város Levéltára

HUN: Tatabánya Topotheque online

Tatabánya in north-western Hungary, known to many for the large bird statue visible from the motorway (if you think you’re looking at an eagle, you’re wrong, it’s the legendary Turul), starts with a special theme: the opening of the Centrum department stores’: just go shopping in the unique world of shapes and colours of the 1970s and try to discover the difference between Western and Eastern product culture! Most of the photos are unedited because their age-related discolouration, which has caused the colours to disappear unevenly, sometimes makes it impossible to restore them accurately. Therefore, as is the case for many collections, it is important to save as soon as possible the material threatened by decay, at least digitally, for posterity. At present, the management of this Topotheque is in the hands of the City Archives, where it is hoped that the publication of these first images will also open up private sources.