Holocaust Memorial Center

Through 8 galleries this museum tells the story of what happened to the Jewish (and Roma) community in Budapest during their deportation by the Nazis primarily in April-May 1944 for those in the suburbs, and in October 1944, when the German-backed fascist Arrow Cross Party, led by Ferenc Szálasi, seized power in Hungary. This new regime instituted a reign of terror, and deportations of the remaining Budapest Jews resumed. From May 15 to July 9, 1944, approximately 440,000 provincial Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, with the enthusiastic assistance of the Hungarian gendarmerie. In November 1944, tens of thousands of Jews from Budapest were concentrated in brickyards and forced on brutal death marches toward the Austrian border. Thousands died from starvation, exposure, or were shot by guards. The remaining Jews in the city were forced into a sealed ghetto in late November. Between December 1944 and the liberation of Budapest by Soviet troops in February 1945, members of the Arrow Cross shot thousands of Jews along the banks of the Danube River.

Unforgettable experience. The most important place of the Holocaust history because Hungary was a key country where the most jews were taken to the concentration camps. You should specially pay attention to the personal family stories of the era. Be aware if you go with kids they might be restricted to enter due to the cruel images and historical accounts of cruelty that is not suitable for children.

Remarkably good, ml big and emotional history of the holocaust with a focus on the hungarian jews with detailed life histories of specific individuals. Very small museum. Mostly hungarian and not as english friendly. Moving. Painful. Illustration of man’s violence on its own. The museum staff needs to do a much better job of the audio guide and educating visitors before they enter. The House of Terror has done a remarkably better job than this museum in visitor education and narration.

Holocaust Memorial Center is a national institution established by the Government in 1999. In 2002, it decided to construct the building of the Center in Páva Street, outside of the traditional Jewish quarter, further emphasizing its national character. The invading German troops included a Sonderkommando led by SS officer Adolf Eichmann, who arrived in Budapest to supervise the deportation of the country's Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland. Between 15 May and 9 July 1944, over 434,000 Jews were deported on 147 trains, most of them to Auschwitz, where about 80 percent were gassed on arrival. The deportation was powerfully assisted by Hungarian authorities. The Holocaust Memorial Center focuses entirely on Holocaust research and education. The visitors are welcomed into a unique space that was named as the most impressive in Budapest, beside the city’s panorama itself by Frank Owen Gehry, one of the leading architects in our time. The modern building is organically linked to the Páva Street Synagogue, an authentic venue that once used to be the second largest site for Jewish worship in Budapest. The Institution is a center for scientific research education and culture. It welcomes visitors with interactive permanent and special periodic exhibitions, experience-based museum pedagogical programs and cultural performances. Guided tours are available in five languages and special, thematically focused tours are offered regularly. A bookshop and a cozy coffee shop contribute to a memorable visit. A toilet is also available for visitors.

Really interesting museum with well laid out exhibits. All of the text is available in English however some audio was only available in Hungarian. A guided tour of the synagogue would have been beneficial.

We visited this place and were surprised to see how well organized it is... there's written, photos and videos showing the world the unimaginable cruelty taken place during first WW...one can't help but shed tears of sorrow...so sad that human rights can be taken away from you in the most inhumane way...😢😢😢

We were staying just a few minutes walk away from this museum but would have visited anyway. Very worth a couple hours and reasonable entry fee. I would only suggest a little investment in the audio which was not working and some new headphones. Museum was bigger than expected and had many historical stories

A fabulous but haunting experience. The museum is very well laid out and thought through. It walks you through the history of anti semitism in Hungary. There are a mixture of written and video presentations to do this as well as some physical and interactive exhibits. The tour finishes in the refurbished synagogue. It serves as a sombre end especially given the reasons it fell into disrepair in the first place. There is no denying this a harrowing and emotional experience. I would also suggest completely essential too. A must visit when you are in Budapest. All of the information is in several languages including English. There are toilets on site.