Overview

Historians still argue what to call the events that were triggered by a peaceful solidarity rally of Hungarian students with the Polish people on October 23rd, 1956: a rebellion, revolt, uprising, popular uprising, revolution, counter-revolution, or War of Independence.

The best definition comes from Sándor Márai’s poem, Angel from heaven, written for the Christmas of 1956: “A nation said: Enough!”.

The events of 1956 shook not only the communist world, but had lasting effects on world politics. The brief period of breathing “freedom at last” gave courage and strength to Hungarians to survive the rest of foreign tyranny until it finally collapsed in 1989.

Description

Stop At: Kossuth Lajos Square, Budapest

We will visit Kossuth Square where the Hungarian parliament stands. Aside from several other impressive buildings on the square, we will see where, following a mass demonstration in 1956, dozens were massacred by the government.

Duration: 25 minutes

Stop At: Margaret Bridge, Budapest

On the banks of the Danube, close to Margit Bridge, stands a building which in communist times was dubbed The White House. It was the Party HQ of the Hungarian communist government.
We will visit this and also take a look at the statue of Imre Nagy, Prime Minister in 1956 who was later murdered.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Bem Jozsef Memorial, Bem ter, Budapest 1027

Going south from Margaret Bridge, we arrive to Bem Square. The square saw 200,000 Hungarian students protesting against Soviet rule in 1956, in a rally that was originally organized to support Polish workers.
We will also visit Bambi Eszpresszó, a shelter for Buda-side intellectuals in Frankel Leó utca, has been going strong since the 1960s, and has maintained both the same atmosphere and the same interior design ever since.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Sandor Petofi Statue, Petofi ter, Budapest

Sándor Petöfi was the key figure in the 1948 revolution, and as such he came to represent all struggle against government. The statue is a meeting point for political events and protesters still today.
The famous actor Sinkovits Imre came here to the statue in 1956 and recited the words of Petöfi which incite revolution; he was subsequently arrested and imprisoned.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Hungarian National Museum, Muzeum Korut 14-16, Budapest 1088

Located along the tiny, one-way Sándor Bródy Street, Budapest’s Magyar Rádió Building (also known as Radio Budapest) is somewhat secluded from the city’s more bustling thoroughfares.
The Radio building was one of the epicentres of fighting in 1956, and it was from here revolutionaries begged for help from the world at large.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Corvin Cinema, Budapest, Corvin köz 1, 1082 Hungary

On the south-east part of Budapest's city, Corvin köz was the major resistance center, where in 1956 local youngsters fought the invading Russians with Molotov cocktails and guns they stole from soldiers to fight against Soviet tanks.
We will look at the reminders of the battles here and talk about the invasion of 1956 and its aftermath.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: House of Terror Museum, Andrassy ut 60, Budapest 1062

WHEN THIS OPTION CHOSEN:
During the year-long construction work, the building was fully renovated inside and out. The reconstruction plans for the House of Terror Museum were designed by architects János Sándor and Kálmán Újszászy. The reconstruction turned the exterior of the building into somewhat of a monument; the black exterior structure (consisting of the decorative entablature, the blade walls, and the granite footpath) provides a frame for the museum, making it stand out in sharp contrast to the other buildings on Andrássy Avenue.
Inside the building, the Museum has a T-54 tank on display.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes