What a terrible thing it would have been if all the statues taken off the streets when the Iron Curtain was pulled back had been melted down or dumped on rubbish tips. Luckily, someone had the great idea of exhibiting over 30 of these works in one place and so the statue park was born.
From the city centre, it was a journey on two very busy buses; the park is located in South Buda and you should keep an eye out for it because it appears very suddenly and you could easily miss the stop and have to backtrack.
The entranceway is a huge brick wall containing two arches, each containing a statue; one shows Lenin in classic pose. You walk through the gateway and pay at the desk.
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What a terrible thing it would have been if all the statues taken off the streets when the Iron Curtain was pulled back had been melted down or dumped on rubbish tips. Luckily, someone had the great idea of exhibiting over 30 of these works in one place and so the statue park was born.
From the city centre, it was a journey on two very busy buses; the park is located in South Buda and you should keep an eye out for it because it appears very suddenly and you could easily miss the stop and have to backtrack.
The entranceway is a huge brick wall containing two arches, each containing a statue; one shows Lenin in classic pose. You walk through the gateway and pay at the desk.
The rest is up to you. There is no set route and all the works are grouped around a central flowerbed which has been designed so that the bed, when in bloom, shows a striking red star.
The pieces range from straightforward busts and statues of Lenin, Marx, Dimitrov, etc., to more symbolic pieces dedicated to the Workers, Soviet Soldiers and the Republic of Councils.
Unfortunately, there is little in the way of information other than the names of the pieces or a brief mention of to whom the work is dedicated. This does spoil your enjoyment a little, but the statues are so impressive that you can still get a lot out of the visit without knowing exactly what each piece represents.
And just to add a little more authenticity, at regular intervals the sounds of the Red Flag and other Communist anthems are played over a loudspeaker. This makes the whole affair a little camp, I think, but is great fun.
Entrance is 600HuFt, but free to Budapest Card holders. You can also buy a special ticket from tourist offices which combines travel there and admission, saving a little.
On departure, you pass a patio area where you can buy T-shirts (Che Guevara, Lenin, Trabant cars), badges, fur hats, CDs of Communist anthems, books, postcards, and other kitsch bits and pieces.
Definitely worth a visit. We loved it - the highlight of our time in Budapest!
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