Famous for its beaches and nightlife, Hungary’s favourite holiday destination empties out in the colder months, leaving it a bleak ghost town. Former resident Marietta Varga captures a surreal urban landscape devoid of people

Born in 1992, Marietta Varga (@mattivarga) grew up in the Hungarian city of Siófok by the beaches of Lake Balaton. After a decade living abroad, she recently returned to capture a nostalgic portrait of her hometown.

“Siófok is often called Hungary’s summer capital as so many people flock there in the warm months,” she says, “so for most people the city is only known as their holiday destination. But those who grow up here can see the town in an entirely different way.”

Varga explains that Siófok – usually home to approximately 25,000 residents – sees its population increase sevenfold in the summer, becoming packed with crowds of loud tourists. For the rest of the year the city is completely different. “It becomes a calm, peaceful and quiet place,” she says. “It is this side of Siófok that is close to my heart. The old, empty playgrounds and colours of the buildings remind me of my childhood.”

These empty places are what evoke a surreal, dream-like atmosphere in Varga’s photography; in her pictures, Siófok becomes a ghost-like city.

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