Gigantic statues and reliefs as memories of the communist era removed from the streets. We can encounter a piece of Hungarian history in a huge park.

The park was established in 1992-93 by the plans and concept of Eleöd Ákos.

The park displays 42 statues and monuments that used to be placed in streets and squares of Budapest between 1945-1989 conforming to the needs and expectations of the communist cultural policy. The exhibition includes sculptures like allegoric monuments of “Hungarian-Soviet Friendship” and “Liberation”, communist figures, soldiers of the Soviet Red Army and various other gigantic statues.

Monuments of Lenin, Marx and Engels, Dimitrov, Captain Ostapenko, Béla Kun and many other communist figures were relocated here commemorating a fallen regime and warning the future generations to beware of dictatorships.

The statues bear their title, maker and original location so those with first-hand memories of the era can easily identify the familiar ones.

The entrance resembles socialist realist building, however, it is just a 12 meters high set. A perfect opening to introduce a dictatorship.

The Monument of ’56 is a huge platform in front of the entrance holding a copy of boots from the Stalin statue toppled during the Revolution.

To make the atmosphere complete songs of proletarian movement are playing at the box office and you can even sit in a Trabant.

As architect Ákos Eleőd motto says “This park is about dictatorship, however, once this is possible to declare it turns to be about democracy. Only democracy can allow for the freedom of the thought either about dictatorship or even democracy…or anything.”

Memento Park is open every day from 10 a.m. until dark.

Official website: www.mementopark.hu