House of Terror

Housed in the massive building that served as the Nazi headquarters during World War II and later of the Communist secret police, this museum is aptly named. It is a powerful and horrific statement about these deadly chapters in Hungarian history, and you should set aside a few hours to visit. The somber entrance hall is dominated by a Russian tank, a reminder of the 1956 uprising, when these immense vehicles rolled down Andrássy Út just outside. The multimedia exhibits feature video and audio installations, along with rooms, including interrogation chambers, that have been faithfully re-created.

Critics have argued that the somewhat flashy displays are too theatrical, and there are moments that feel contrived, like the pitch-dark elevator ride during which a huge flat-screen television plays footage of an old man who describes the almost daily hangings he witnessed under the Nazis. However, simply being in the very place where many of these atrocities occurred is chilling—the cellar with its concrete cells, in particular, is a haunted and miserable place—and the attention to detail is brilliant. Most of the video footage is in Hungarian without subtitles, so be sure to pick up the excellent English audio guide.

Indagare Tip: The House of Terror can be inappropriate for young children, and even preteens and teenagers should go on a case-by-case basis. My visit to the museum stayed with me for days, particularly walking along one long hallway that was covered floor-to-ceiling in black-and-white portraits. As I passed the photos, I assumed I was looking at the faces of those who perished in the 1956 revolution until I spotted two small plaques, one on either side of the hall. The first read “victims,” the other “victimizers”—a terrible reminder of the madness of those times.