I. Tóth árpád sétány 40, Open:
10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun, Budapest Card accepted,
Website: www.militaria.hu
Situated in a former municipal army barracks, the Museum of Military History has a sprawling
collection of weaponry and war memorabilia housed on two main floors. Open to the public since 1937
and restored after World War II, the museum has permanent collections covering the 1848 revolution
and War of Independence, both World Wars and the 1956 uprising, together with more modern displays
showing machinery, guns and other military equipment used by the Hungarian army. On the ground
floor, shells of different calibres and sizes line the museum's corridors, while above, images of
engineers building pontoon bridges, soldiers hauling gun carriages and weary infantry men in the
trenches stare out at you.
On the staircase leading to the first floor, there are two lovely stain glass
windows depicting Buda in 1493 and Budavár Bevetele in 1849. Turn right and you'll find
exhibits on military history during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including uniforms worn by the
Hungarian Hussar regiment.
The are also large display cases featuring models and battle scenes from World
War II, although the addition of a Huey helicopter (as used in Vietnam) was somewhat puzzling. The
displays devoted to the tragic events of the 1956 uprising are the most poignant by far.
One nice touch is the WW2 American helmet which sits on a clear glass case on
the ground floor landing. A slot has been cut in the top so that visitors can make a donation to
the museum. The entrance, which is from Tóth árpád sétány
(promenade) has a fine lookout over Buda's western suburbs.
Museum of Applied Arts
IX. Üllői út 33-37, Metro: M3
Ferenc körút, Trams 4, 6, Open: 10am-4pm Tue-Sun from Jan 1-13 March, 10am-6pm rest
of the year, Budapest Card accepted, Website:
www.imm.hu
This beautiful building was designed by Odön Lechner and completed in 1896. It houses a
number of interesting exhibitions with a permanent display of arts and crafts and furniture in the
upstairs area.
Museum of Commerce and Catering
I. Fortuna utca 4, Várbusz, Bus 16, Open: 10am-5pm
Wed-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat/Sun, Closed: Mon/Tue, Budapest Card
accepted, Website: www.mkvm.hu,
Show Map
The old 18th century inn at No. 4 Fortuna utca now houses a small but interesting museum dedicated
to the history of confectionery and pastry shops. If you have small children, then this
perhaps is a better place to visit than some of the other more austere museums on Castle Hill.
Museum of Fine Arts
XIV. Hősök
tere, Metro: M1
Hősök tere, Bus 4, 20, 30, 105, Trolleybus 75, 79, Open: 10am-5:30pm All year round,
Budapest Card accepted, Website: www2.szepmuveszeti.hu/index.htm
The museum stands on the northern side of Heroes' Square and houses the National collection of
non-Hungarian art with items dating back to the Egyptian era. Some count this as one of the most
impressive galleries in Central Europe as it's home to works by famed artists such as El Greco,
Goya, Rembrant and Rubens. A strong core of the art collection was collected by the
Esterházy family, once one of the most influential aristocratic families in the country.
There are often temporary exhibitions on show and it's therefore worth checking to see what's on beforehand.
However, the permanent displays alone are well-worth a visit.
Museum of Music History
I. Táncsics Mihály utca 7, Várbusz, Bus 16, Open:
10am-6pm Mar 15-Oct 31, 10am-5pm Nov 1-Mar14, Closed Mondays, Budapest Card accepted, Website: www.zti.hu/museum.htm
Set in the magnificent Baroque surroundings of the Erdődy Palace, the Museum of Music History
charts the history of musical life in Budapest from the 18th to 20th centuries. A section of the
exhibition is devoted to the life and works of composer Béla Bartók, while early
Hungarian musical instruments are also on display.
VI. Andrássy út 3, Metro: M1
Bajcsy-Zsilinksky út, Bus 4, 105, Open: 10am-6pm Apr 1-Oct 31, 10am-4pm Nov 1-Mar 31
(closed Mondays), Budapest Card accepted
Set in a decorative first floor apartment formerly belonging to the wealthy Andreas
Saxlehner, the
museum details the history of the Hungarian postal service. Included among the exhibits is a mock
19th-century post office and vintage mail vehicle. The building itself is the highlight of a visit
here.
Ráth György Museum
VI. Városligeti fasor 12, M1 Bajza
utca,
Bus 4, 105, Trolleybus 78,79, Open: 10am-4pm Jan 1-Mar 31, 10am-6pm Mar 14-Dec 31, Budapest Card accepted
Just a stone's throw away from Heroes' Square, the former home of artist György Ráth is
devoted to Buddhist and Eastern Art from China and Japan. Among the excellent displays are ornate
snuff bottles, Samurai armour and intricately detailed lacquered combs. Temporary exhibitions of
art from other Far Eastern countries also take place here during the summer.
Semmelweis Museum of Medical History
I. Apród utca 1-3, Tram 18, Open: 10:30am-5pm Tue-Sun, Budapest Card accepted
Housed in the birthplace of Dr Ignác Semmelweis (who discovered the cure for puerperal
fever) the Museum's exhibits document the history of medicine from ancient times to the present
day. Of the many surgical instruments on display, most interesting is the medieval chastity belt.
Makes you wonder what anyone wearing one would do if they had an itch!
VII. Hársfa utca 47, Open: 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, Metro: M1 Vörösmarty
u.
With a collection that includes every first edition Hungarian postage stamp, this museum is a real
treat for collectors. Foreign stamps are not left out either, as displays are organised by
continent and country. If nothing else, the museum leaves you with the opinion that Hungarian
stamps are (arguably) the most beautiful in the world.
Statue Park (Szoborpark)
XXII. Balatoni út, Bus 50, Open: 10am-dusk daily,
Budapest Card accepted, Website: www.szoborpark.hu
Without a hint of irony, the old lady selling tickets to this curious outdoor museum puts on a
tape of stirring Soviet music as you pass through the main entrance. Visitors to Szobor Park seem
to fall into two categories - those intrigued by the idea of a dumping ground for Soviet and
Communist statues and others making a bizarre sort of pilgrimage to wallow in what remains of the
good old days of 'goulash communism'.
Back then, the statues represented, albeit superficially, a powerful symbol of
Soviet strength and unity. Today, stuck out on the edge of town, they've lost much of their
dignity, instead being brutally exposed as the idealistic follies that ordinary Hungarians always
knew them to be. Worth a look, but not as impressive as most guide books would have you
believe.
Telephone Museum
I. Úri utca. 49, Várbusz, Bus 16, Open: 10am-6pm Apr 1-Oct31,
10am-4pm Nov 1-Mar 31, Closed Mondays), Budapest Card
accepted
A small museum set in a former telephone exchange in Buda's Castle District. Centred around a
fully working antique switchboard, the exhibition charts the history of the telephone using various
interactive displays. Not as much fun for kids as some tourist guides claim. Instead, you may find
them slipping back to their Nintendos for a sneaky game of Super Mario Kart.
Transport Museum
XIV. Városligeti körút 11, Tram 1, Trolleybus 70, 72, 74,
Open: 10am-4pm Tue-Thu from Jan 1-Apr 30, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun May 1-Sep 30, 10am-5pm Sat/Sun Oct 1-Dec
31, Closed Monday, Budapest Card accepted,
Website: www.km.iif.hu/index.html
Permanent exhibitions on the history of Hungarian railways (including scale models), shipping and
the development of the modern car and motorcycle. Accompanied by guided tours, films and lectures
throughout the year.
Tomb of Gül Baba
II. Mecset utca 14, Bus 91, Open: 10am-6pm May 1-Oct 31 (closed Mondays), Budapest Card accepted, Website: www.btm.hu/Turbe/turbe.htm
Burial chapel of the muslim dervish and member of the Bektashi order who died in 1541 following
the capture of Buda. Built between 1543 and 1548, the octagonal building now features a permanent
display of religious items and Turkish rugs. A well known shrine for Muslims.
Metro: M1, M2, M3 Deák tér, Opening
hours to follow, Budapest Card accepted
Located inside Deák tér metro station, the museum occupies part of an original
underground tunnel. The exhibits give good insight into the development of mainland Europe's first
subway service and include a number vintage carriages which ran on the original line built for the
Millennium celebrations in 1896. There are also architect's plans, various drawings and other
period memorabilia that makes the museum an interesting place to stop off.
III. Szentlélek tér 6, Metro: HÉV árpad híd, Bus 6, 86, 106, Tram 1, Open:
10am-6pm Mar 15-Oct 31, 10am-5pm Nov 1-Mar 14, Budapest Card
accepted
Housed in a two-storey wing of the old aristocratic home of the Zichy family, Vasarely's vast
collection of over four hundred works creates one of the most vivid and inspirational galleries in
Budapest.
Born in Pécs, Hungary, at the turn-of-20th-century, Victor Vasarely
spent his early working life in advertising before moving with his wife Klára to Paris in
1930. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement of Walter Gropius in 1919, he found fame as an artist after
exhibiting at the Boétie Street Gallery, Paris in 1944.
Dubbed as the father of Op Art in the 60s, his familiar style of creating
illusionary 3D geometric shapes on flat canvases has an almost hypnotic effect. Early efforts such
as MITIN (1938) give a clear indication of the style he would later follow, while more recent
works such as BULL (1973-74) are a prelude to modern day computer imagery. For anyone interested in
modern art the Vasarely Múzeum is a must.
Zoltán Kodály Memorial Museum
VI. Kodály körönd 1, Metro: M1
Kodály körönd, Bus 4, 106, Open: 10am-4pm Wed, 10am-6pm Thu-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun,
(Mon/Tue closed), Budapest Card accepted,
Website: www.iks.hu/museum.htm
The former home of the Hungarian composer until his death in 1967, the memorial museum has on
display folk art objects that he owned as well as personal manuscripts and photographs.
|