House of Terror

Description:

• You will have to brace yourself before going into this historical building. Also bring your reading glasses; all of the information in English is on copious sheets of paper in each room. This is the former headquarters of the ÁVH secret police. This building is witness to some of the darkest days of 20th-century Hungary and is now a chilling museum. The goal was to create a memorial to the victims of both fascism and communism, the successive oppressive regimes in Hungary, but according to critics, it misses the mark by putting more energy into the communist times. The Nazis headquartered here in 1944 used the basement for torture and murder of suspected traitors and others they thought were undesirables. The communist secret police wasted no time at all in taking over the building and continuing the reputation the fascists started. The fact that it is now a museum has caused much debate amongst locals who feel it is glorifying the evil past. The artsy roof that overhangs its stenciled letters onto the street doesn't help the cause with Andrássy út being a World Heritage site.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010