Attractions

Historic Budapest is smaller than people realize when they first arrive. Since this is a great walking city, many attractions listed in this chapter are easily reached by foot from the city center or if you would rather save some time, public transport will get you there too. As you stroll from one place to the next, look up at the buildings even if you have to stop a minute. There are so many missed treasures above normal views that go underappreciated by many. Regardless of a building's decay, take into consideration it probably has a long and interesting history associated with it. Many people have commented to me, about how nice a building would be if it were restored, but they forget that this city was heavily bombed during World War II. That rubble falling from the facade most likely has a story to tell. Clean and pretty buildings are nice to look at, but what historical secrets are they keeping?

Statues, Which Statues?

By now, most people have forgotten that the city was littered with statues to Lenin, Marx, Engels, and the other representations of the communist times. If you have some recollection of them and are wondering where they have disappeared to, here is your answer. In the aftermath of 1989, they were not wanted any longer being constant reminders of difficult times. A plan was conceived for a Socialist Statue Park (Szoborpark Múzeum). The park is inconveniently located outside of the city and to call it a park is bordering on a misnomer. From the outside, it looks like an old American fort, but as you enter Socialist marching music is playing on the loud speaker. The large unkempt plot of dusty land has a circular exhibit of the statutes. What little information is available on or near each statue is in Hungarian only, which is confusing; the majority of visitors are tourists and not Hungarians.

Located in the XXII district (extreme Southern Buda) on Balatoni út (tel. 1/424-7500; www.szoborpark.hu), the park is a memorial to an era, to despotism, and to hatred. The tiny museum gift kiosk sells communist-era memorabilia, such as T-shirts with flamboyantly modern sayings, medals, and cassettes of Red Army marching songs. The park is open daily from 10am to dusk and admission is 600 Ft ($3.25/£1.75). To get to the park, take the black-lettered bus no. 7 from Ferenciek tere to Etele tér. Buy a separate ticket for the yellow Volán bus (to Érd) for a 20-minute ride to the park; ask the driver where to get off. It is not easily marked and the stop is just a roadside stop. The Volán bus is not a city bus; passes and transit tickets are not valid. Or, for a premium, you can take the new and convenient direct bus service from Deák tér for 3,950 Ft ($22/£11) or 2,450 Ft ($13/£7) for students (admission ticket to the park included). The timetable varies by season, but the 11am departure remains constant with an additional run at 3pm in July and August.

Other statues have replaced some of the old while others are in spaces not formerly graced with artwork. One statue that just about every tourist sees is The Little Princess, but without a plaque, it is often mistaken for a jester. It sits on the railing on Vigadó tér, a straight shot down to the river from Vörösmarty tér. You will see by her knees that she has been rubbed in admiration for some time. The sculptor is László Marton, who also created the incredible statue of Attila József, the famous Hungarian poet, as he gazes toward the Danube by Parliament. Sculptor Imre Varga created the statue you will find on the tiny Vértanúk tér across from Parliament. The man on the bridge is Imre Nagy, Hungary's prime minister during the '56 revolution, who tried to build a democratic Hungary by negotiating with the Soviets and gaining Western support. His place on the bridge is a metaphor for being caught in the middle. He was later taken prisoner by the Soviets and executed. Varga is also the artist who created the Weeping Willow in the courtyard of the Great Synagogue. And back again to Vigadó tér, you will find the fairly new Girl with a Dog, a playful statue of a child playing ball with her canine friend, by artist Dávid Raffay. All of these artists are contemporary and still living and working at their craft.

Memorials

Along the Danube, on the embankment between the Chain Bridge and the Parliament building is a row of 60 pairs of bronze shoes that look suddenly abandoned. The memorial was created by sculptor Gyula Pauer. He named it Shoes on the Danube Promenade to commemorate those who were shot to death on the riverbank as the Allies were approaching the city. On the sidewalk, you will find a mosaic monument not far from the shoes. The inscription is in Hungarian, and states: "In the memory of the Hungarians who fell victim to the Arrow Cross terror in the winter of 1944-45."

There are a number of memorials to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of so many Jews. Snake Killer is a statue created by sculptor Pátzay Pál as a tribute to Wallenberg's work and it is in XIII. St. István Park. It was completed in 1949 and destroyed, but renewed and erected in 1999. You can get there by tram 4 or 6. Raoul Wallenberg utca is named in his honor and is where he established the "Swedish houses." There is a relief of Wallenberg on a wall with an inscription that translated says: "Raoul Wallenberg, The Deputy of the Swedish Nation. From the beginning of July 1944 until January 1945 he coordinated the brave and noble humanitarian activity of the Royal Swedish Embassy in Budapest. He became a legendary hero in that dark period of destruction. May this monument announce our imperishable gratitude in the middle of the city, which people were protected by his persistent humanity in an inhumane era's night." Another Raoul Wallenberg memorial created by Imre Varga is in Erzsébet Szilágyi Fasor a park in the second district consisting of a statue of the hero between two large rose-colored blocks of stone. Inscribed on the back of the stones is an imprint of the Snake Killer statue with the Latin phrase: "Donec eris felix multos numerabis amicos tempora si fuerint nubila solus eris." Translated it says: "When you are lucky, many friends you have, once the sky turns cloudy, alone you remain." Unfortunately, the park itself is not well maintained.

In district V. at Vadász u. 29, where the "Glass House" is located there is a memorial room with a plague to commemorate the deeds of Carl Lutz, the Swiss diplomat who created safe houses for the Jews under Swiss protection. The Glass House (Üvegház) was the headquarters of the Zionist youth movement. If you take Walking Tour 4: The Jewish District, you will see the memorial honoring him.

Stolpersteine or Stumble Stones in English was the inspiration of Cologne-based artist Gunter Demmig. He started making stone plaques with Holocaust victims' individual names on them and placing them in the pavement in front of the last-known address for the victim. They have already appeared in Italy, The Netherlands, and Austria, but as of April 2007, the first ones were placed in Budapest. Privately funded at 95€ ($124/£65) each, the first three stones have been placed on Ráday utca. Each stone reads: "Here lived" followed by the person's name, date of birth, and fate. The first three are for Béla Rónai, an unemployed public official at Ráday u. 5; Oszkár Vidor Weisz, a textile dealer and shoe repair person at Ráday u. 25; and Imre Pollák, a spice dealer at Ráday u. 31. Throughout the summer of 2007, 50 more stones were to be placed throughout Hungary. One criterion for selecting those to be remembered is that they have no surviving relatives, thus keeping their memory alive when no one else is available to commemorate them. For more information, visit www.stolpersteine.com. I accidently came across the first one on Ráday utca after learning about these, but had not had it on my mind at the time. I later found all three. It was a heartwarming experience.