Posted by The House of Terror is a museum in Budapest (Hungary), which deals with the recent history of Hungary. The exhibition depicts the atrocities of the Nazi period and socialism in Hungary. Name of the museum in Hungarian: “Terror Háza”, in English simply: “House of Terror”.
Hungary had to endure two harsh dictatorships one after the other. First came the Nazis and were seamlessly replaced by the troops of the Soviet Union in 1945. It was not until 1989 that Hungary became a free country again. Both dictatorships were unimaginably terrible and cruel in Hungary. This is portrayed mercilessly in the House of Terror. Many historical films are shown, but also writings and objects of art.
The museum has a total of 20 rooms with exhibitions. On the ground floor there is, among other things, ticket sales, a cafe and a free cloakroom. On the 1st and 2nd floors is the “House of Terror” museum. There is an excerpt. It is a modern museum with lots of multimedia and the like.
The exhibition rooms lead through the various phases of oppression and cover topics such as the Holocaust in Hungary, the Stalinist purges and the popular uprising of 1956. Visitors can see original documents, personal items of victims, video interviews and much more.
Museum Address 60 Andrassy Street: The museum’s location is historically significant as it used to be the headquarters of the secret police. The exhibition explains how the building was used by both the Arrow Cross Party and later the AVH to imprison, torture and execute political dissidents.
One of the first rooms is the Black Hall, dominated by photos of the victims, with a black tank as the central exhibit. It symbolizes the oppressive violence of the totalitarian regimes.
Another exhibition focuses on the fascist Arrow Cross Party, which controlled Hungary in the last years of the war and was responsible for the deportation and murder of thousands of Jews.
Propaganda Room: This room shows how both regimes used media, posters and films to control and manipulate public opinion. There are vivid examples of communist propaganda used to maintain control over the population.
Memorial Hall: At the end of the museum visit, you enter a room of remembrance. The names of those who died under the regimes are engraved, which is an emotional and powerful way to end the visit.
A particularly haunting part of the exhibition are the basement rooms, which were once used as cells and torture chambers. Here, visitors can feel the oppressive atmosphere and learn about the inhumane conditions that the prisoners suffered.
The House of Terror also offers a variety of very interesting multimedia presentations, audio guides and videos that provide a deep insight into Hungary’s time during the occupation and the resistance.
Buy tickets for the Great Synagogue in advance: Since a lot of tourists come to the synagogue, the queues at the ticket office can be very long. Therefore, more and more visitors buy the entrance tickets including a guided tour in German online in advance. Tickets and more information are available on this link
The exterior design of the building, especially the metal facade with the lettering “TERROR”, symbolizes the severity and legacy of past atrocities. A large frame is installed on the roof of the museum, which casts the shadow of the lettering onto the building, which is interpreted as a symbol of the ongoing influence of terror on Hungarian society.
The museum also offers an examination of how people can become perpetrators or victims in extreme political systems and what effects terror has on today’s society.
We have the impression that most visitors to the House of Terror are tourists from Western countries. This could be due to the rather high entrance fees. We found the many films in the exhibition with reports from contemporary witnesses particularly interesting. Most of the content in the House of Terror is in Hungarian and English. The films are mostly Hungarian with English subtitles. It is a modern museum, opened in 2002.
The joint representation of National Socialism and Communism in one museum as two terror regimes may have been criticized.
Approach House of Terror Budapest
From the city centre, take the Metro 1, the terror exhibition is between the stations “Oktogon” and “Kodaly köröönd”. From the metro Kodaly körönd the House of Terror is a little closer, but also from the station Oktagon it is less than 200 meters to the museum.
Entrance fees House of Terror Budapest 2024
The exhibition House of Terror costs 4000 Forint entrance fee, which is about 10 Euro (as of end of 2024. However, many people pay only half of that (1500 Forint, almost 5 Euro). This reduced entrance fee applies especially to people under 25 years, people over 62 years and families. Children under 6 years of age do not have to pay admission in Terror Haza.
Opening hours House of Terror Budapest 2024
The museum has classic museum opening hours, daily from 10am to 6pm, monday is closed. In addition, on some holidays is closed like November 1st, Christmas (also 24.12.), New Year’s Eve and New Year. In January the House of Terror has a whole week off.
nearby: Heros Square Budapest The Zoo Budapest Thermal Bath Budapest
All big sights in Budapest (list)