The House of Terror was one of the destinations we most wanted to visit given our fascination with the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes which marked two grim chapters in Hungarian history. Housed in the former secret police headquarters of the Nazi and the Communist governments, the museum is an actual site where victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the building. The word TERROR was cut out of the building’s awning, and when the sun projects through these letters, one is reminded of how terror had been projected onto the Hungarian people for decades.
The museum aims to introduce a sensory experience with photographs, films, video interviews, audio recordings, music, sound effects, lighting and visual projections, which would have been a powerful experience if not for the fact that everything was in Hungarian. We had wanted to rent an audioguide but the girl at the counter told us it would not be necessary and waved us in. It would probably work for people who just wanted to skim through the exhibits and be done, but I was craving information. I ended up having to guess what I was looking at or listening to.
One of the more memorable sections was when we went into an elevator to go to the basement, and after the elevator doors closed a video blared to life, portraying a guard explaining the execution process held in the prison basement where we were descending into.
It was particularly poignant to realize that some of the events did not take place that long ago, and that some of the perpetrators and victims are still alive today. We wondered about the emotions felt by the elderly Hungarian visitors, standing surrounded by reminders of the difficult days. The most chilling final exhibit was walls and walls of perpetrators, members or supporters of the Arrow Cross and secret police, many of whom walked free and are still living today.
This museum is a moving memorial to the country’s struggle for freedom, please do not miss it, and get the damn audioguide.
Address: Andrassy Way 60 in Budapest, Hungary
http://www.terrorhaza.hu/
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