Memento Park

Szoborpark

Memento Park is an open air museum in Budapest, dedicated to monumental statues from Hungary's Communist period (1949–1989). There are statues of Lenin, Marx, and Engels, Dimitrov as well and several Hungarian Communist leaders. The Statue Park, was first conceived by the literary historian László Szörényi in 1989 when he suggested the various Lenin statues from all over Hungary could be gathered into one "Lenin garden". According to Ákos Eleőd, the architect: "This park is about dictatorship. And at the same time, because it can be talked about, described, built, this park is about democracy. After all, only democracy is able to give the opportunity to let us think freely about dictatorship." Visitors may well interpret this as an assertion that the Hungarian spirit is stronger than communism. Possible souvenirs are CDs of Hungarian communist fight songs, reproduction Hungarian Communist Party membership booklets, funny postcards and posters.

• museum
• outdoors
• history

Address

XXII. Balatoni út and Szabadkai utca corner

Getting there

From 'Kelenföld vasútállomás' take bus 101B, 101E, 150, 150B to 'Memento Park' stop

Hours

Daily, from 10:00 till dusk

Price

Ft1,500, Students with ISIC card: Ft1,000, accept: Budapest Card, Hungary Card

Website

szoborpark.hu (opens in a new tab)