In a basement in District 13, glamor of old times comes alive, where the world ceases to exist for long minutes, while you concentrate on one simple task: avoid the ball to fall down. If you like flippers, this place will leave you breathless.
photo: http://www.flippermuzeum.hu
Only a few blocks away from Westend, in Radnóti Street, a whole underground world awaits those who look for old times’ fun. Balázs Pálfi decided to open the region’s biggest museum on over 400 m2, exhibiting 130 flippers from his private collection. These machines tell the story of game machines from early 19th century to nowadays – and they’re not only there to watch, the owner of the museum renovated them so you can try, and get a feel of what it was like to have fun in the old days.
To avoid misunderstanding, let me make it clear at the beginning: this is not a gaming-room. Although you can play with the machines, the focus is to learn about the development of flippers. With a visitor ticket, you get a full driving around, and you get to know the story of all of the machines. There are some games from pre-electricity, using only mechanical parts, you can try how smart you are on non-flat surfaces, and of course, some heroes of the digital age can be tried out as well. The exhibition area offers excitement both for those who are interested in the history of technology, and anyone, who’s not that experienced with flippers.
photo: http://www.flippermuzeum.hu
Although Hungarian flipper machines were never produced, a machine called Mesevonat (Fairytale train) can be found in the museum. It is a repainted, modified version of a Spanish flipper, from around 1990 – noone is sure who the designer was. All the machines are in great hands – they are overhauled and looked after, and the owner of the gallery seeks new (old) models continuously. Listening to their stories, you experience a whole new level of technology enthusiasm.
photo: http://www.flippermuzeum.hu
To learn more about Europe's continuosly operating interactive pinball exhibition, visit their web-site here: http://www.flippermuzeum.hu/en/
The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00 to 24:00.
