HOUSE OF TERROR (TERROR HÁZA)

The origins of the museum lie in a house at 60 Andrássy Avenue, which from 1944 to 1945 was the headquarters of the Arrow Crosses (the Hungarian Nazi organ), then from 1945 to 1956, the headquarters of the Communist regime's secret police. Today, the museum pays tribute to the victims of the Nazi and Soviet regimes, with several temporary exhibitions in addition to the permanent collection. The House of Terror is a remarkable showcase for the tragedies of Hungarian and Jewish history, using powerful images. The visit begins on the second floor with three rooms, half of which are dedicated to the Arrow Crosses. The focus soon shifts to the exactions of the Soviet regime, which make up almost 90% of the museum. There's plenty of video evidence, photos and reproductions of offices, gulags and other Stalinist "revelry". The visit ends with a descent into hell, in an elevator, in the cellars where the victims of these regimes were imprisoned and tortured. The House of Terror has been the subject of much controversy in Hungary, pitting those in favor of an effective comparison between the Nazi and Communist regimes against those who consider the comparison inappropriate. It has also been accused of political manipulation (left-wing parties have seen the House of Terror as a means of political recuperation by Viktor Orbán, former and current Hungarian Prime Minister and initiator of the museum).