Agony and Ecstasy

November 4, 2010

Terror House

Gone With the Wind



Opera House

Agony and Ecstasy

Like every city in Europe, Budapest is a city that has an incredibly rich and diverse history and like most nations, there are some chapters that are not very pleasant. In Budapest there is an example of one very dark chapter located at 60 Andrassy Ut. (Street) where the infamous Terror House is located. Ironically, just down the same street is another example of Hungarian history, this one the beautiful building that houses the Hungarian State Opera House.





With-in a matter of hours, Marta & I would visit both of these historic places and get a glimpse into two very different aspects of Hungarian history via two remarkable historical structures.







The House of Terror is now an incredible museum, one that documents the tragic and shameful periods of Hungarian history in the 20th century that happened in the non-descript grey building. The dark history of the building began in 1944 when the building became headquarters for the Hungarian Arrow Cross party, the Hungarian Nazis. When the Russians “liberated” Hungary in 1945, the notorious communist terror organization the AVH took over the facility and continued to use the building as their headquarters and use the building as a prison where thousands of Hungarians were imprisoned, tortured and executed.

House of Terror video

Much like the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, the Terror House museum covers a tragic history with grace, class and amazing artistic vision. It was really spectacular and horrifically powerful emotional experience. Going down the elevator to the basement and visiting the still intact prison cells, torture chambers and execution room was a devastatingly experience, especially when considering that this wasn’t some example of some ancient history, but one where many survivors as well as victimizers are still living.











After a quick bite to eat and a change of clothes, Marta & I were back on Andrassy Ut. For a very different experience at the Hungarian National Opera House where we caught a performance by the National Ballet of Hungary of the Margaret Mitchell classic “Gone With The Wind”. The Opera House was completed in 1884 and is a wonderful example of neo-Renaissance architecture and has been described as one of the most beautiful and opulent in all of Europe.









Somehow Marta has scored us wonderful box seats and we were able to enjoy an amazing performance by the ballet. Being very familiar with the story, it was easy to follow along and I must say the Hungarians did an excellent job at capturing the spirit of the Confederacy.







It was another great day of amazing experiences in a truly beautiful city. Walking the short distance home to our apartment after the ballet, the vibrancy of the city was really evident. Almost every building has an incredible facade and most are light each night adding a magical glow to the central streets.







Jewish Synagogue

Hungarian Opera House