PICTURES: How people in Budapest stay cool during the heatwave

Inflatable swimming pools are the new must-have item around Budapest as residents of the Hungarian capital struggle to keep cool during one of the hottest summers in the country’s history.

Swimming pools can be found everywhere—in shared open spaces outside apartment buildings, on small balconies, and in the backyards of suburban houses, where the surrounding greenery doesn’t relieve the heat.

To stay cool, Budapest residents have been fleeing to relatives who own houses or have air conditioning in the forested suburbs, sometimes sharing living spaces with as many as a dozen other family members.

Some, like Barnabas Kantor, are making waves with their work. The 29-year-old social media manager had been playing with his phone for days while sharing an inflatable pool with his wife and sister-in-law. The sisters installed a swimming pool outside their parents’ suburban home, where the family had been for weeks to escape the city heat.

In the city itself, families with young children often stay in air-conditioned apartments during the hottest part of the day, only venturing out onto balconies after the sun goes down to let the kids play in the water.

But the rules for the preservation of old buildings in the historic center of Budapest make it impossible to install air conditioners. So the owners of the otherwise prized apartments there spend their days in dark rooms in front of electric fans.

Water pipes—another relatively inexpensive and time-tested way to stay cool on long, hot days—are also celebrating a big comeback, especially popular with children and pets.

Hungary has experienced several heatwaves since mid-June, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius during the day and staying hot at night. The country recently broke records for its hottest night, with a temperature of 25.4 degrees Celsius in Budapest on July 26.

The previous record for 24.6C registered in the city of Szeged stood for 128 years.