On the outskirt of Budapest, a mere fifteen minutes from centre city by car or bus, you can find a museum that is unique, not just in Eastern Europe but in the World: The Statue Park Museum.
When the socialism collapsed in Hungary in 1989, a huge amount of statues of Lenin, Marx, Red Starts and other Soviet-era monuments become undesirable, so they were removed shortly from public places. The best part of them gathered together here, as beacons for the political and ideological culture of the former socialist period.
The issue of what to do with all the statues dating from the previous political system was one of many that occupied public debate after the political changes of 1989/90. On December 5th, 1991, the Budapest Assembly came to a decision concerning the future fate of the statues in question - the choice of statues to be removed or kept would be decided by each district individually.
The Cultural Committee of the Assembly invited a tender for "what is to be done with the statues", which in effects was a tender for the design of the future Statue Park. Three proposals arrived. The park was finally located on the space offered (on the Tétényi plane) by the XXII. district of Budapest after many other proposals were rejected.
In the Autumn of 1993, the museum was finally opened.
There are 42 pieces of art from the Communist era between 1945 and 1989, including allegorical monuments of "Hungarian-Soviet Friendship" and "Liberation", as well as statues of famous personalities from the labour movement, soldiers of the Red Army and other gigantic pieces: Lenin, Marx, Engels, Dimitrov, Captain Ostapenko, Béla Kun and other significant figures of the communist world.
The visitors' favourite is the Liberation Army Soldier. A hammer-and-sickle flag in its hand and a cartridge-disc machine pistol hanging in its neck make the statue complete. This 6-meter tall statue of the evil-eyed Soviet soldier once stood on the top of Gellért Hill in central Budapest, well-seen from every direction.
If it is possible, please take and upload a picture about the statue and yourself.
When facing it, the main entrance bears the image of a monumental classicist building. Looking behind it, though, it resembles a 12-meter high, under-propped communistic scenery, a perfect introduction into the nature of dictatorship.
The words of architect Ákos Eleod, the conceptual designer of Memento Park serve as its motto: "This Park is about dictatorship. And at the same time, because it can be talked about, described and built up, this Park is about democracy. After all, only democracy can provide an opportunity to think freely about dictatorship. Or about democracy, come to that! Or about anything!"
This is the world’s only such collection from the period of communist cultural politics. It’s the most exciting outdoor museum in Eastern Europe.
The park is opened every day from 10 o’clock in the morning until sunset. Entrance fee is around 6 EUR (in 2008).
It is accessible by public transportation: If you are in the Budapest downtown, the easiest way to get there, if you go to Etele square by bus 7E. Get off at the last stop named "Kelenfoldi Palyaudvar". The ride takes 15 minutes from the centrum.
Look for a bus that goes towards Diosd / Erd. (Hint: Look for the yellow buses.) You can get information from ticket clerk in the building, and can also buy a return ticket for around 3 EUR. The ride takes about 10-15 minutes again. (Hint: despite of that the drivers usually do not speak foreign languages, somehow let know the busdriver that your destination is the Statue Park, and they will help you.)
Cache:
At the given coordinates you will find the box. It is not in the area of the park, even if your GPS claims differently.
