A typical day of tourist activities could best describe the day and that was a very good thing. For starters, the St. Stephen Basilica was a beautiful beginning.
Although, the mummified and venerate right hand of St. Stephen was a little odd. Stephen was a strong and good king of the Hungarian people and somehow his right hand ended up in this gold and glass case, a very serious subject to the locals. The hand was secured by allied forces during World War II and received a welcome return.
Walking down Andrassy Street towards the baths I came across an interesting museum that drew me in. Number 60 Andrassy Street was known as the House of Terror, due to its former use by the Nazi and the Russian occupying forces as a secrete police and torture facility.
Now it serves as a museum dedicated to the atrocities of their mutual occupations. This was my second Hungarian museum and I was equally impressed with the exhibit’s layout and organization. The depth and raw honesty of the exhibit couldn’t help but touch human sensibilities. The tone was set immediately. The entry hall is headed with both Soviet and Arrow Party flags. The Arrow Party was the puppet party set up by the Nazi occupying forces.
Then an Iron Curtain Era tank rested in a murky reflecting pool in the small central courtyard around the corner from the main hall. The tank was flanked by etched photos, of those killed by the occupying forces, that climbed four stories up the adjoining wall.
Among the exhibits were rooms dedicated to those who resisted Nazi and Russian oppression. It is interesting that in the United States the church is considered a conservative driving force, while in Soviet occupied Hungary the church was the liberal undermining faction. The Catholic Cardinal when facing prosecution from the Russians held up in the U.S. Embassy for 15 years rather than leave his homeland.
Two of the most moving sections of the museum were related. The 1956 uprising and momentary freedom of Hungary from the Soviet Union were followed by imprisonment, torture and murder of the leaders. Several rooms described the development of the uprising and how the “Pesti’s” had fought against the Soviet occupation, then an elevator was taken to the basement that housed the torture cells.
The strongest moment of the museum came in the final exhibit. When leaving the basement, one walks through an arched hallway. On either side of the wall are portraits of the German and Russian people who committed atrocities against the Hungarian people. Birthdates and death dates are listed under each photo. The vast majority of people are still alive, residing in Germany or Russia. Wow! That took some real guts.
Continuing the walk down Andrassy Street, I left the manicured Champs Elesee feel and walked by many of the neglected beautiful buildings constructed before Soviet occupation and then left to weather.
Along the walk way various huge blocks were being renovated. Eventually the road led to Heroes’ Square and beyond to the ultimate destination, the Szechenyi Thermal Baths.
The Ottomans built many baths to take advantage of the natural thermal springs in the Budapest area. Many of the baths are housed in beautiful century old buildings. It was a very relaxing few hours in the baths and steam rooms.
After a good soak, the 6:00pm tour of parliament was next. This building is an architectural wonder. Completed in 1904, the building is remarkably well preserved.
During World War II, all major artifacts were stored in a secure area, so the building maintains all original stain glass and statuary.
Prior to the war, Hungary maintained a bicameral government with a house of lords or senate and parliament. The senate portion of the building was bombed and rebuilt, in spite of the fact that the country now supports only a parliament and the house of lords has been eliminated.
The parliament building houses the artifacts of the monarchy: crown, septor, and orb. The crown is actually legally considered a person in Hungary and has a higher legal standing than the former kings. The U.S. government seized the crown during WWII and kept it safe from the Soviets in Ft. Knox until 1979 when Jimmy Carter thought it safe to return to the people of Hungary. For this act of conservation the Hungarian people are openly grateful.
The remainder of the evening was spent shooting pictures of the cityscape at night. The city’s visual hi-light is the Chain Bridge. It is an beautiful architectural feat, who’s towers survived WWII however the deck and suspension were rebuilt to original design specs in the 1950’s.
(Guardian Lion of the Chain Bridge with the National Art Gallery behind.)
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