Tuesday, April 7, 2009

#97












#97, Buda, Budapest


Today, &7 takes a look at the mysterious wall plates of Budapest: What are they? What do the numbers mean? Why do they look like they've been poked with industrial-strength thumbtacks? And what's up with the arrows?

I was fascinated with these cryptic signs that I found all over buildings in Budapest. Each sign was smaller than a license plate and could usually be found at eye level in a relatively inconspicuous place: on the side of a building rather than near a door. There was never any accompanying text -- not that the Hungarian would've been much of a clue -- and I was left doing what I do best: wondering what it all meant.

Sifting through the archives to come up with today's 97, I was reminded of this 97's uncanny resemblance to 72. I wish now that I'd compiled more, but here's a sampling. A cryptic triptych, if you will. Say that five times fast. And if anyone knows what these symbols represent or wants to take a guess, let me know.
















And put on your Advanced Hieroglyph hat for this last one:



2 comments:

Therese Cox said...

Privately, I have been informed by a well-connected friend of a Hungarian that these signs may denote underground sewer systems. Stonehenge it ain't, but sounds like a good theory.

Julie said...

The third one is quirkily like Snoopy.