Lumen Gallery and Café

The lumen is the derived unit of luminous flux, a measure of the total 'amount' of visible light emitted by a source. Luminous flux differs from power (radiant flux) in that luminous flux measurements reflect the varying sensitivity of the human eye to different wavelengths of light, while radiant flux measurements indicate the total power of all light emitted, independent of the eye's ability to perceive it. A lux is one lumen per square meter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_%28unit%29

…Understanding the meaning of the name, our next question was "But what does light has to do with coffee?" The owner gave us a convincing answer. His brother is very much interested in photography and himself was in opening a coffee place. These two desires were combined and embodied in Lumen Gallery and Café five years ago at Mikszáth square, a charming little place in the center of the city, 10 minutes walking from Kálvin.

 

Before the idea of opening a coffee place, Lumen Photography Foundation was established with the aim to promote the development of visual culture by supporting the extensive presentment of artists utilizing photography and videography as a tool for their work. Lumen Gallery and Café is currently hosting the activities of the Foundation. It promotes the work of young artists and serves high quality coffee for those who would like to get closer to contemporary art. This concept of combining the two desires seems to be successful. The coffee place covers the operations of the gallery and ensures the location for photography exhibitions and events, while allowing coffee lovers to get in touch with contemporary art in a unique atmosphere being less formal compared to the classical gallery environment. Currently, Lumen is moving to the neighboring place, and for short time the Gallery will be closed. 

Moving to wider space allowed extending the menu. Besides the classic coffees and different teas, milkshakes, juices, szörp (mix of fresh fruit syrup and soda), lemonade, alcoholic drinks, pastries, sandwiches, and hot dishes are also being served. The most special is the handicraft beer that is bought from small manufacturers and the wines are also purchased from local producers.

This time, we had a latte and lemonade. The high quality coffee could be perfectly felt and its bitterish flavor gently  felt through the creamy milk.  However, the serving of the latte did not outrun the ones we had before. It was in a simple glass with a funny spoon having a weird shape hanged on side. No glass of water, neither a tiny cookie, nor a nice salvette. Yet, the lemonade was absolutely perfect, just as refreshing as we wanted!
 
 

Lumen also roasts its own coffee in the garret. The beans are a fine combination of selected arabica that are treated with special care while being prepared for their final use. These beans are imported from various countries far away. Sachets of the freshly roasted coffee can also be bought in the coffee place. 

 

The interior of Lumen is very simple but unique. There is not much furniture, neither decorating elements that characterize the coffee places we’ve visited before. We were not sure, whether we miss some gadgets or pictures on the wall that would give a homey touch to the place, however, this clean design is what makes this place different from the others. The tables and chairs is the idea of the owner’s brother and were also fabricated by him. Each of them seem very different, but also identical that follows the same tone of colors and shape. The purplish shade well match the white walls and all together evokes a relaxing feeling.

The terrace of the coffee place is even more worth to mention! The view to Mikszáth square, the fountain, the trees and flowers, and all the other busy coffee places create a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy the sunny day and have a nice cup of coffee.