Statue Park (Szoborpark), Budapest

We went to the statue park which is just outside the city. Most of the statues were huge and it was very strange to think that they used to be located throughout the city. It really makes you think about what it must have been like for people living there.

One of our favorites for a guy that actually loves Soviet Realism and a boy who loves to climb on it. There is a bus that runs from a bus terminal on the Buda side, see below. It's an off beat way the spend an afternoon.

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The Statue Park is a small park. It's located South-West of the citycentre.
About 50 old Sovjet statues and monuments are displayed in 6 circular paths. Besides a souvenirshop (which is in fact nothing more than the cash desk) there's nothing spectacular to do here. Rather a disappointment after visiting their modern website before.

Although the souvenirs are authentic, the walk through the park will last you not more than 25 minutes.
Watch the souvenir I bought at my pictures .
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When the communist control of Hungary ended their statues and symbols were no longer popular (if they ever were) so they were removed. Someone had the foresight to salvage a large number of them and put them in a park southwest of the city. There they help locals remember and foreigners understand the nature of those times. Here you can see the big names, Marx, Lenin, etc. as well as the ‘social realist’ representations of workers and soldiers. It is sort of a retirement home for old socialist symbols.

There was a guide to show us around and explain what some of the statues represent which was very helpful. He was quite knowledgeable and had a pretty good sense of humor. A couple of his funny observations: “The Communists were so strict that a porno film then was seeing Marx without his hat and coat” and defining a Communist sandwich as “a chicken coupon between two bread coupons.”

You could drive or do a very complex public transportation trip but the best and easiest way is the tour that leaves from the Deak ter main bus terminal. The buses run daily at 11:00 and 15:00 March thru October and in July and August at 10:00 and 16:00. One guide book I read says that the bus stop is clearly marked with the Statue Park logo but that did not prove to be the case when we were there. Just read all the schedules on the post where buses are queing up and leaving. It isn’t that difficult, you just have to look for it a bit. Cost including the bus trip and admission to the park is 1950 Ft for the whole thing, but discounted to 1350 Ft with the Budapest Card. The trip to the park takes about 30 minutes and you have about 40 minutes in the park before the return trip so the whole venture is less than 2 hours and well worth the time and money.

Located on the out skirts town is Szobor Park or Statue Park. After the Russians left at the end of the cold war they left peppered around Budapest monuments dedicated to the hero’s communism. The Hungarians where anxious to get rid of them, so they rounded them up and stuck them out in the middle of nowhere. This is communism’s first theme park I guess; dedicate half a day to this place.

Liberation monument is an imposing site to see when you visit Budapest (it's located at the top of Gellért Hill). After a strenuous hike up to the top, we reached the crest and the statue. The 14-m-high statue, the work of outstanding architect Zsigmond Kisfaludy Strobl, was raised in 1947 in memory of the country's liberation. And even with the start of Soviet rule, the statue on Gellért Hill was not removed even after the change of regime since it had become an indelible part of the cityscape. There are two other sculptures at the foot of the female figure holding aloft the palm of victory: one is an allegory of progress, the other the fight against evil.

what do you do with all of the humongous monuments erected during the dictatorship once the regimen is kaput? well, make an attraction out of it of course! the statues are displayed in a rather spartan setting and i wished there had been somebody around to explain to us in detail the history of each one but we were left to our own devices. left with a cd with "the best of communism" (including such hits as "onward red guards, proletarians" and, who can forget, "we thank you, comrade rakosi") and a t-shirt of "the 3 terrors: stalin, mao and lenin - world tour 1917-1979" (1948-hungary). my friend teased we were going to be stopped and questioned at customs. the park is probably not an essential sight in budapest, but if time allows go for it.

Rather than simply smash up Budapest’s Communist statues after the Fall of Communism, the ingenious solution was to round them all up and give them a new lease of life by creating a statue theme park in the outlying district XXII.

The rather drab setting of the park, a simple curving gravel path, parched earth and unkempt grass, seems to reflect something of the Communist era and makes the giant statues appear even more monumental. The ironic twist is the on-site souvenir shop selling Communist era memorabilia at decidedly Capitalist prices!

Admission 600 HUF daily. Open 10am till sunset.