House of Terror

House of Terror (Terror Haza Muzeum) - darkometer rating : 7 - A kind of modern-approach museum dedicated to Hungary ’s, and especially Budapest ’s, two darkest periods in its 20th century history: a) the country’s very own episode of Nazi rule, and b) the communist era when Hungary was part of the Eastern Bloc under Soviet dominance. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: for general historical background see Hungary , Budapest and Hungarian National Museum . The building that the museum is housed in was actually used as the headquarters of Hungary ’s Arrow Cross Nazi party and was later also used by the communists ’ secret police, the AVO (until 1956). Countless victims were interrogated, imprisoned and tortured in its basement cells. Thus the building as such has real significance as an original site of the terror that is the theme of the museum. The way this is presented, however, has been received with a good deal of controversy and criticism. There have been accusations of too great an involvement of political interests. The museum’s establishment in 2002 had been helped along by the then Nationalist government’s leader, who the museum’s curator also acted as an advisor for, and it was alleged that the museum deliberately tried to make the current Socialist Party appear in a bad light. Be that as it may, the Terror Haza certainly meets a demand for a place commemorating Budapest’s dark past – and for the foreign visitor any contemporary local political background isn’t so visible anyway and probably not all that important either. The stark tone and choice of words in the texts accompanying the exhibition is, however, quite noticeable indeed.