Memento Park

Memento Park in southwest Budapest is an open-air museum that opened in 1993 and holds a collection of 42 monuments from the era of Communist rule. The idea goes back to the literary historian Lászlo Szörényi, who in 1989 proposed a place to gather Communist relics. Today the architect Ákos Eleőd presents these objects in an ironic, postmodern arrangement that allows for a detached approach to the past. Among other things, you can see the former Lenin monument from Dózsa Street as well as the statue of Marx and Engels. A particular focus is the history of the Stalin monument on the parade square, which was toppled in 1956; the park has a replica of the podium complete with boots. Other highlights include the sculpture of two giant hands symbolizing Soviet-Hungarian friendship, as well as the monumental Béla Kun memorial. You can also admire the statue of the Liberation Army soldier and a monument to the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919. The site offers an impressive look at the visual culture of the Communist era.