Urban anthropology is largely represented in Europe and in the United States, but is still in its infancy in Hungary. In this context the author studies the Keleti East station of Budapest from a historical and sociological viewpoint. He describes its social and symbolic use and tries to determine the role of the rail network and the consequences of its expansion on town and country planning. As a result of the 19th-century town expansion the Keleti station became a « door open » onto the city and its hidden side. As a new multifunctional space the station was progressively provided with various services (reception desk, cash points) and shops (restaurants, newspapers-shops) that remained open practically night and day. It is in this new type of agora that immigrant workers, suburban commuters, tourists, city dwellers, dropouts, as well as foreigners and autochthons meet every day. In the context of the future renovation of the station and in view of the complexity of the social fabric it is evident that urbanists will have to call upon the skills of social scientists.