Review: Terror Háza Múzeum (House of Terror Museum)

http://www.terrorhaza.hu/en/museum
/first_page.html

A Short History of the Building

The House of Terror Museum is a memorial to the victims of the fascist and communist regimes in Hungary. The building was used as headquarters by the Arrow Cross Party (the Hungarian Nazi Party) in the 1940's. Until 1944, Hungary preserved a legitimate, elected parliament and government. That March, Nazi Germany occupied Hungary, and gave power to the Arrow Cross Party. The building came to be called the "House of Loyalty," and the basement was constructed for political prisoners, who were tortured and killed within the building.

At the end of World War II in 1945, the Soviet Union occupied Hungary and set up a single party communist government. Stalinist policies were adopted, thousands of Hungarians were killed or sent to Gulags. Ethnic cleansing continued, food shortages abounded, and thousands became political prisoners. During this period, the building was taken over by the ÁVO and ÁVH (Hungarian versions of the KGB), and the interrogation, imprisonment, and execution of political prisoners continued in the building. The name of the building was changed to the "House of Terror."

http://www.terrorhaza.hu/en/museum/gallery
/gallery/museum/basement.html

In 2000, the building was bought in order to create the museum. It looked very similar to surrounding apartment and office buildings. (In fact, the building is set up very similarly to my own building, and the hard wood floors are almost identical to those in my flat). After external and internal renovations, the building is significantly more imposing (as pictured above). The first and second floors are almost entirely exhibits, showing very little of the original building. The prison cells and interrogation rooms were recreated and excavated to reflect their condition between 1945 and 1956. It is likely that the basement originally extended further, with more cells below the current level, and extending beneath other buildings. However, in 2000, these areas, if they existed, had been sealed off.

Review:

Overall Experience: The videos, photos, newspapers, and artifacts from the relevant time periods were very interesting. The prison cells and interrogation rooms were fascinating, and it is very moving to consider that they were in use as recently as 60 years ago. I would recommend that visitors to Budapest visit the House of Terror early in their visit, since the review of 20th century history in Budapest is helpful.

Time Required: 3 hours (to not feel rushed), 90 minutes (if you don't like to read exhibit information)

Best Time to Visit: On a Saturday afternoon in February, it was busy! I would suggest visiting during a week day (but keep in mind that the museum is closed Mondays and some Tuesdays).

Accessibility to English Speakers: Information sheets, in both Hungarian and English, are in almost all the rooms. There are many videos from the time period, as well as interviews of survivors created in the 1990's. Most of these have English subtitles. There are many artifacts with explanations in only Hungarian.

Other Notes: If you are a student, be sure to bring your student ID since it cuts the ticket price in half! There are few places to sit in the exhibits. Coats and bags must be checked. It is quite warm in the exhibits (easily 70 degrees) and quite cool in the basement, so layers are necessary. Also, be prepared for distracting music in the exhibits.

The photos above are from the House of Terror website, which also has more information on the exhibits, http://www.terrorhaza.hu/en/index_2.html.