Sziklakórház Atombunker Múzeum

About the museum

The Sziklakórház (Rock Hospital) is the developed part of a cave system about ten kilometres long beneath the Várhegy (Castle Hill) of Buda. The caves had been used by local people since the Middle Ages, and with the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 a large part of them was converted into an air-raid shelter. The earliest part of the later hospital was the air-raid alarm centre marked “K”, from which the sirens of the Castle District were operated between 1937 and 1945. The emergency hospital was built between 1941 and 1943 and opened on 20 February 1944; the 94-bed facility was completely full during the siege of Budapest in 1944–45.

It was closed in 1945, then re-equipped and classified as secret in the early 1950s. In the first days of the 1956 revolution it again treated wounded people. Between 1958 and 1962 it was expanded because of the Cold War threat, so that it could also be used in the event of a chemical or nuclear attack; the air and water treatment system was built at that time, along with two Ganz diesel engines supplying the electricity. The secret status of the facility was lifted only in 2002.

Renovation began in 2007 at the initiative of the Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum (Military History Institute and Museum), and the exhibition has been open to visitors continuously since March 2008. Today it is maintained by the “A Szikla” Múzeumi Közhasznú Alapítvány (“The Rock” Museum Public Benefit Foundation). The museum, which covers more than 2,000 m², is visited with a guided tour; the topics include the history of the hospital, wartime medical instruments, the Friedrich Born memorial exhibition, the air-raid alarm centre, a local history exhibition and the siege of Budapest.

Highlights

• Wartime emergency hospital and Cold War atomic bunker beneath the Várhegy
• Medical equipment exhibition from 1940 to 1980
• Friedrich Born memorial exhibition
• Exhibition on the siege of Budapest
• Audio guide in nine languages

Permanent exhibitions

• A Sziklakórház története – The history of the wartime emergency hospital, the Cold War atomic bunker and the secret facility built in the cave system, with medical equipment and fittings.
• Budapest ostroma – An imagined, bombed-out attic space with military relics from the fighting of the 1944–45 siege and from civilian victims.
• Friedrich Born emlékkiállítás – Memorial room for the Hungarian delegate of the International Red Cross, who saved the lives of more than 15,000 people during the Holocaust.

Founded

2007

Operated by

„A Szikla” Múzeumi Közhasznú Alapítvány

Admission & discounts

There is a choice between two programmes (a simple guided tour or a public-benefit programme); the guided tour is the same in both. Teachers with a valid card and EU citizens over 70 pay a symbolic fee. The museum is cashless: at the machines payment is by bank card, and at the cash desk by SZÉP card. Booking an online ticket for a time slot, with a discount, is recommended.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The hospital section can be visited by wheelchair or with other mobility aids; the machine-room section cannot be visited by wheelchair because of the many steps, narrow doors and winding corridors. Official assistance dogs may be brought in; no other animals.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 6+

Because of the disturbing design of the exhibition, children under 6 may not visit, and it is not recommended under the age of 12; visits are possible with parental consent and supervision. Children’s groups must register separately.

Getting there & parking

From the Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom), walk along Szentháromság utca to the Tóth Árpád sétány, where a staircase and a lift at the foot of the castle wall, opposite the church, lead down to Lovas út. Turning right at the bottom, the entrance is visible after three metres.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Souvenir shop at the cash desk.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit