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Paola de Temesvary

b. 1971

Born
4 Jun 1971, Budapest
Country of birth
Hungarian People's Republic, today Hungary

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
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sources
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Budapest

    Birth, Budapest

What was it like?

The world around Budapest, 1971: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

In 1974, maternity dresses made of nylon and wool jersey cost 1,000 forints, while a checkered maternity dress could be purchased for 480 forints by 1978.

Fashion
Around 1974–1978

Cost of Maternity Clothing

In 1974, maternity dresses made of nylon and wool jersey cost 1,000 forints, while a checkered maternity dress could be purchased for 480 forints by 1978.

Around 1975–1979

Frequent Clothing Purchases

By the mid-1970s, urban men were increasingly purchasing shirts every 7 to 8 months and shoes or sandals every 8 months, while women bought hosiery or socks every two to three months.

Music

Live music in Budapest restaurants

During the 1960s and 1970s, many Budapest restaurants featured live Gypsy music, which remained an essential accompaniment for diners eating out.

The zither in Hungarian homes

The zither was a household instrument in many homes, often handmade by family members, and was frequently used for dancing at smaller gatherings like corn-husking parties.

Getting around
Around 1975–1975

Hydrofoil travel between Vienna and Budapest

The hydrofoil ship Sirály operated between Vienna and Budapest six times a week with a journey time of four hours.

Commuting patterns for Hungarian workers

In 1956, daily industrial commuters mostly traveled by train (56.1%), followed by bus or company vehicles (30.6%), while 13.3% used other means like bicycles or walking. The average one-way commute was 22.5 kilometers, meaning workers traveled 45 kilometers daily.

Daily life

Crowded homes with few modern amenities

Many homes were small, often consisting of just one room where large families lived, cooked, and washed, sometimes with dirt floors. Running water, indoor toilets, and bathrooms were rare, forcing many people to use public baths.

Housing costs and tight family budgets

A private house could be built with a loan covering 70% of the cost, though a worker might need to spend eight times their average monthly wage to cover the remaining 30%. In one instance, a family of nine lived on a daily budget of 8.20 forints per person, with the mother spending only 90 fillérs per child for a meal.

Food

The Traditional Sunday Lunch Menu

By the 1970s, Sunday meals for many families consistently featured a traditional menu of meat bouillon, breaded cutlets with French fries and cucumber salad, and pastry. This meal served as a reliable staple amidst the uniformity of socialist everyday life.

Rise of canned foods in homes

During the 1970s and 1980s, canned ready-made meals like goulash and stuffed cabbage became commonplace in Hungarian households, with 96 percent of families regularly consuming them by 1976.

Prices and wages
Around 1980–1980

Cost of goods in 1980

In 1980, a color television cost 20,000 forints and a Sanyo videorecorder cost 64,000 forints, while bread was so affordably priced that it took at least half an hour of work to earn enough to buy one kilogram.

Around 1975–1989

Typical monthly salary under communism

During the communist era, most people earned around 3,000 forints a month, which was paid in cash on the 2nd of each month.

Work

Mandatory employment and monthly wages

In the socialist state, everyone was required to have an official job recorded in their employment book, and avoiding work was a criminal offense. Most people earned around 3,000 forints a month, which was paid in cash on the 2nd of each month.

Workday realities and private side jobs

Workers often left their jobs during the day to manage personal errands because telephone connections were poor and arrangements had to be made in person. Builders were known to redirect state-supplied materials to perform private, more lucrative jobs during their official working hours.

News and letters

Telegram speed and costs

Until the 1980s, telegrams were a common communication method in Hungary and typically reached their destination within four hours. They were paid for word by word and were often kept as souvenirs.

Around 1975–1989

Telegrams arrived within four hours

Until the 1980s, landlines were unavailable in many places, making telegrams a common way to send information that arrived within four hours.

During their lifetime

  1. 1973

    Economic crisis initiated in 1973

    Following global energy price hikes starting in 1973, Hungary entered a period of economic decline, accumulating significant foreign debt that eventually forced a reduction in living standards.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.