{"id":1599,"date":"2015-09-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-19T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.newyorkcafe.hu\/molnar-ferenc-es-az-a-bizonyos-kulcs-avagy-a-new-york-kavehaz-legendas-tortenete\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T13:41:49","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T12:41:49","slug":"ferenc-molnar-and-that-certain-key-or-the-legendary-story-of-the-new-york-coffee-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/molnar-ferenc-es-az-a-bizonyos-kulcs-avagy-a-new-york-kavehaz-legendas-tortenete\/","title":{"rendered":"New York M\u0171v\u00e9sz P\u00e1holy \u2013 Gyula Kr\u00fady \u2013 between extremes \u2013 New York Caf\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\nThere are several stories circulating about the legendary key to the World\u2019s Most Beautiful Caf\u00e9, but all of them link the events to the name of Ferenc Moln\u00e1r. Many have refuted the legend, whilst others have interpreted the events in various ways. But what is the truth? What are the facts, and what are the details shrouded in mystery? What really happened to that particular key back then\u2026?\n

The history of the Key Fund<\/h3>\nThe story dates back to 23 October 1894, when S\u00e1ndor Steuer, the caf\u00e9\u2019s first tenant, opened the doors of the New York Caf\u00e9. On this momentous occasion, he welcomed the most renowned figures of the artistic and cultural scene of the time within the walls of what has since become a legendary caf\u00e9. This was the very first day in the history of the New York Caf\u00e9, and according to legend, among those present was Ferenc Moln\u00e1r, the famous writer and journalist to whom we owe *The Paul Street Boys*, which he wrote whilst sitting at the tables of the New York.\n\nAccording to the anecdote, on that day the good humour and merriment so liberated the participants\u201e spirits that a group of journalists decided the caf\u00e9 should remain open round the clock from then on, and to ensure this, Ferenc Moln\u00e1r, who was leading them, threw the key to the front door into the Danube. Word of the caf\u00e9 spread increasingly amongst the bohemian youth, and news of its success spread by word of mouth even amongst older and more distinguished circles. As a result, an increasingly diverse crowd frequented the New York Caf\u00e9, which soon flourished as a literary caf\u00e9 \u2013 becoming a home for culture, the arts and creativity.\n\nJen\u0151 Heltai wrote of it as follows:\n\n\u201dDespite all its sophistication, the New York was a democratic caf\u00e9. (\u2026) No one could resist its charm. Everyone knew everyone else there. The waiter served you straight away, without even waiting for you to order anything. Without a word, you were given your daily black coffee, along with an inkwell and writing paper.\u201d\n

Disturbing facts \u2013 or yet another version of the story<\/h3>\nNew York M\u0171v\u00e9sz P\u00e1holy \u2013 S\u00e1ndor M\u00e1rai \u2013 the eternal rebel \u2013 New York Caf\u00e9\n

Let\u2019s tidy up \u2013 after all, the spirit of the New York Caf\u00e9 lives on!<\/h3>\nThe truth behind these anecdotes was revisited in earnest by the management of the New York in 2014, when the historic caf\u00e9 celebrated its 120th anniversary.\n\nGuests at the regularly held \u201eArtists\u201d Lounge\u2019 event revisited the legend on that occasion and, at the suggestion of cultural manager Anna Juh\u00e1sz, reinterpreted it. In her view, the truth may never come to light, and there will always be those who argue about the story. However, now that we have such a story in our hands, let us make the most of it, renew it, and make it our own in the present, even today.\n\nWith this in mind, on 19 October 2014, the management of the World\u2019s Most Beautiful Caf\u00e9 threw the keys to the New York into the Danube, so that \u2018if not permanently, then at least for another 120 years\u2019.\n\nThe past is behind us, and whilst we may have our own ideas about history and tangible evidence to support them, whatever the case may have been, we can no longer change it. What we can work on is faithfully preserving the values bequeathed to us by history, carrying them forward, and maintaining the New York Caf\u00e9\u2019s standards in keeping with those of our predecessors, whilst enhancing its reputation day by day.\n\nThis is the key to our success, for this is why our guests visit us and why they keep coming back! \u2013 because they know that, wherever the key may be, the spirit of the New York is eternal, and as long as we work to uphold it, it will never be lost!\n\n<\/div>\n
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There are several stories circulating about the legendary key to the World\u2019s Most Beautiful Caf\u00e9, but all of them link the events to the name of Ferenc Moln\u00e1r. Many have refuted the legend, whilst others have interpreted the events in various ways. But what is the truth? What are the facts, and what are the details shrouded in mystery? What really happened to that particular key back then\u2026?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fine-dining"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1599"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3941,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1599\/revisions\/3941"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newyorkcafe.hu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}