Terror Háza Múzeum

About the museum

The neo-Renaissance building at Andrássy út 60 was the scene of two dictatorships of the 20th century. In the winter of 1944, the headquarters of the Arrow Cross operated here; in the cellar, several hundred people were held captive and tortured. From 1945 the communist political police used the house, which they left only after the 1956 revolution.

The Közép- és Kelet-európai Történelem és Társadalom Kutatásáért Közalapítvány (Foundation for the Research of the History and Society of Central and Eastern Europe) bought the building in December 2000 to create a museum presenting the two dictatorships. The interior design, the visual identity of the exhibition and the façade were created by F. Kovács Attila; the music of the exhibition was composed by Kovács Ákos. The Terror Háza Múzeum opened on 24 February 2002; its director general is Schmidt Mária.

During the conversion, the building became a memorial: the black frame of the roof cornice sets the house apart from the other buildings on Andrássy út. The exhibition leads through the floors along a chronological route and ends in the cellar, with the cells of political prisoners and the instruments of torture.

Key themes

• Memorial museum for the victims of the Arrow Cross and communist dictatorships
• The cellar prison of the building with the prisoners’ cells
• Chronological exhibition route over four floors
• Neo-Renaissance headquarters on Andrássy út

Permanent exhibition

• Állandó kiállítás – The exhibition presents the history of the Arrow Cross and communist dictatorships along a chronological route, commemorating the victims; the visit ends in the building’s cellar, at the cells of the political prisoners.

Founded

2002

Operated by

Közép- és Kelet-európai Történelem és Társadalom Kutatásáért Közalapítvány

Director

Schmidt Mária

Admission & discounts

Free admission: For EEA citizens, admission is free on the first Sunday of every month for under-26s, and for children under 18 and their companion (up to two close relatives).

Tickets can be purchased only at the museum’s cash desk; there is no online ticket sale. Discounts require a photo ID proving eligibility.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• 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

Assistance dogs with identifying markings may be brought into the building.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

Visitors under 14 may stay in the museum only under adult supervision. The exhibition commemorates the victims of the dictatorships, so it is less suitable for younger children.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Gift and book shop. The cloakroom is free of charge; lockers for bags and small coats are also available (a HUF 100 coin is required).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit