Many guests ask us what to do on a Monday when most of the museums and tourist attractions are closed. To assist them in maximizing their stay, I have compiled a list of things to do on a Monday.
Visit the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. It is one of the oldest in Europe and conveniently located in City Park just past Heroes Square. The link is in English.
VI. Vőrősmarty utca 35, Metro:
M1 Vörösmarty u, Open: 10am-6pm Mon-Fri,
9am-5pm Sat,
Website:
www.lisztmuseum.hu
The former home of Hungary's most famous composer Ferenc Liszt, who lived here
for 5 years from 1881 until his death in 1886. The three room apartment displays
original furniture and other personal possessions. Recitals take place most
Saturday mornings.
VII. Dohány utca 2, Metro:
M1, M2, M3 Deák tér, Bus 7, 7A, 78, Tram
47, 49, Open: 10am-5pm Mon-Thu, 10am-3pm Fri, 10am-2pm Sun, Closed Saturday.
Housed in a wing of the Central Synagogue (the second largest in the world)
Budapest's Jewish Museum was built on the site where Theodor Herzl, the famous
Zionist leader and novelist was born. Containing mostly 18th and 19th century
art treasures, exhibits are arranged in three main rooms according to their
ritual significance i.e. Sabbath, holidays and life cycle ceremonies. A fourth
room, which covers the Holocaust, gives a harrowing insight into the fate of an
estimated 550,000 Hungarian Jews murdered by the Nazis and Hungarian Arrow Cross
fascists during the final years of WWII.
III. Laktanya utca 7, Metro:
HÉV Árpad híd, Bus 6, 86, 106, Tram 1,
Open: 10am-6pm daily,
It's fair to say that few modern day sculptors breathe life into sheet metal
like Imre Varga can. This small, but impressive collection demonstrates why the
artist not only enjoys critical acclaim for his work, but has also become a
household name in Hungary.
Despite the would be handicap of being a favoured sculptor under the 'goulash communism' of János Kádár, Varga's career seems to have blossomed still further since democratisation.
The garden of the museum houses one of his most popular works - Derkovits, while inside there's plenty of thought provoking social comment in his work to digest. Recommended.
XXII. Balatoni út, Bus 50, Open: 10am-dusk daily, Website:
www.szoborpark.hu
Without a hint of irony, the old lady selling
tickets to this curious outdoor museum puts on a tape of stirring Soviet music
as you pass through the main entrance. Visitors to Szobor Park seem to fall into
two categories - those intrigued by the idea of a dumping ground for Soviet and
Communist statues and others making a bizarre sort of pilgrimage to wallow in
what remains of the good old days of 'goulash communism'.
Back then, the statues represented, albeit superficially, a powerful symbol of Soviet strength and unity. Today, stuck out on the edge of town, they've lost much of their dignity, instead being brutally exposed as the idealistic follies that ordinary Hungarians always knew them to be. Worth a look, but not as impressive as most guide books would have you believe.
V. Dorottya utca 8, Tel: 266 0223, Metro:
M1 Vörösmarty tér Tram 2, Open:
10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-2pm Sat, Website:
www.ernstmuzeum.hu/magyar.html (includes a page
on the Dorottya Gallery),
With an association to the much larger Mucsarnok, the Dorottya is a bright and
spacious gallery which concentrates on media art, set design and contemporary
installations.
XIV. Ajtósi Dürer sor 5, Tel: 351 4924, Tram 74, 75, Open:
2-6pm Mon, Wed-Sun
One of the smallest galleries in Budapest which concentrates on film and
photography.
V. Képíró utca 6, Tel: 267 2033, E-mail:
studio@visio.c3.hu, Metro:
M3 Kálvin tér, Tram tram 47, 49. Open: 2-6pm
Mon-Sat, Closed Aug, Website:
www.c3.hu/fkse
Geared towards promoting young local artists, the numerous works on display
change frequently, culminating in the 'Gallery by Night' event at the Budapest
Spring Festival. Recommended.
IX. Liliom utca 41, Tel: 215 1600, E-mail:
trafo@trafo.c3.hu, Metro:
M3 Ferenc körút, Tram 4, 6, Open: 4-7pm
Mon-Sat; 2-8pm Sun, Website:
www.trafo.hu
Arts centre devoted to both local and international artists. Joint events are
frequently held, among them exhibitions with the Goethe Institute. It's no
surprise then that the Trafó is popular all year round. Film screenings and
lectures by featured artists also take place.
XI. Gellérthegy, Bus 27, Website:
www.citadella.hu
A short walk from the Citadel is the 14-metre high liberation monument
commissioned by Admiral Horthy, Hungary's pre-war and World War II dictator.
Zigmond Kisfaludy-Strobl's original design, which featured a female figure
holding an aircraft propeller, was commissioned after the death of Horthy's son
István who was killed in a plane crash during World War II. It's said that when
the Red Army arrived in 1945, a palm replaced the propeller and the monument
came instead to symbolise liberation from Fascist rule. In truth, the Russian
version of the monument is a different design by the same sculptor. Ironically,
the statue of the Red Army soldier that stood guard at the foot of the monument
has been unceremoniously carted off to Statue Park on the outskirts of the city.
I. Országház utca/Kapisztrán tér, Metro:
M2 Moszkva tér, Várbusz
Today, all that remains of the 13th-century Franciscan church which once stood
here is the Mary Magdelene Tower. Both the chancel and nave of the church were
destroyed during allied bombing raids in World War II and although the tower
itself is largely a post-war reconstruction, the building has a rich turbulent
history. For a short time, under Turkish occupation, it continued to hold
Christian services, with Protestants using the nave and Catholics the chancel.
Eventually, it too was converted into a mosque, although following the expulsion
of the Turks in 1686 it reverted back to a church in which Franz I was crowned
here in 1872. Later on it served as the garrison church for men stationed at the
neighbouring army barracks.
The 1˝ mile long Margaret Island, which is connected to both Buda and Pest by the Margaret and Árpád Bridges, is one of the most beautiful open spaces in the city. Visitors wanting to take time out from the noise and bustle of Pest will enjoy the serenity of the island's park, which was established over one hundred years ago (1869). The island was named after the daughter of King Bela IV (1235-1270) who lived in a Dominican convent here during the 13th century. The ruins of the convent can still be seen today on the island's east bank.
Heading south from Árpád híd along the Pest side of the island, you'll find two spa hotels situated in close proximity to each other (they are actually linked by an underground tunnel). The first is Miklós Ybl's attractively designed Grand Hotel which shares its facilities with the relatively modern Thermal Hotel. A short distance away is the island's distinctive and colourful rock garden, which leads on to Szent Mihály templom, a 20th-century reconstruction of a 12th-century church.
There are two public baths on the island - the first being the sprawling Palatinus strand, which can hold up to 20,000 people in the summer (with both cold/warm water pools and an artificial wave maker). The smaller Hajós baths to the south is named after Hungary's first Olympic gold medallist in swimming.
I. Szentháromság tér 2, Varbusz, Open daily 9am-5pm,
Website:
www.matyas-templom.hu
At the very heart of Buda's Castle District is the Mátyás Templom. Officially
named as the Church of Our Lady, it has been popularly named after King Matthias
Corvinus (Good King Mátyás) who ordered the construction of its original
southern tower. In many respects, the 700 year history of the church serves as a
symbol (or perhaps a reminder for Hungarians) of the city's rich, yet often
tragic history. Not only was the church the scene of several coronations,
including that of Charles IV in 1916 (the last Habsburg king), it was also the
site for King Mátyás' two weddings (the first to Catherine of Podiebrad and,
after her death, to Beatrice of Aragon).
Any Hungarian historian of note will tell you that the darkest period in the church's history was the century and a half of Turkish occupation. The vast majority of its ecclesiastical treasures were shipped off to Pozsony (Bratislava) and following the capture of Buda in 1541 the church spent life as the city's main mosque. To add insult to injury, ornate frescoes that previously ordained the walls of the building were whitewashed and interior furnishings stripped out.
Although following Turkish expulsion in 1686 an attempt was made to restore the church in the Baroque style, historical evidence shows that the work was largely unsatisfactory. It was not until the great architectural boom towards the end of the 19th century that the building regained much of its former splendor. The architect responsible for this work was Frigyes Schulek.
Not only was the church restored to its original 13th century plan but a number of early original Gothic elements were uncovered. By also adding new motifs of his own (such as the diamond pattern roof tiles and gargoyles laden spire) Schulek ensured that the work, when finished, would be highly controversial. Today however, Schulek's restoration provides visitors with one of the most prominent and characteristic features of Budapest's cityscape.
Inside, visitors tend to head straight for the Ecclesiastical Art museum which begins in the medieval crypt and leads up to the St. Stephen Chapel. The gallery contains a number of sacred relics and medieval stone carvings, along with replicas of the Hungarian royal crown and coronation jewels.
III. Szentendrei út 139,
HÉV Aquincum, Open: 9am-5pm Apr 15-30
and Oct 1-31, 9am-6pm May 1 Sep 30,
closed Nov 1-Apr 14,
Website:
www.aquincum.hu
Running parallel to the busy highway of Szentendrei út, the Aquincum Museum's
relics date back to the period when the Romans conquered the region in around
35BC (eventually becoming part of the province of Pannonia). Back then, Aquincum
served both as a trading settlement and garrison town, protecting other
strategic interests along the Danube. Today, the ruins sit uncomfortably amidst
the suburban sprawl and graffiti clad walls of the nearby HÉV station. The
highlight of the museum is the reconstructed example of a 3rd-century water
organ found at the site in the early thirties. Also of interest is the small
amphitheatre right next door to the station.
Szentendre - Budapest transportation pass is good until the border. Purchase a supplemental ticket for approximately 250 Huf each way. You take the HEV train from Batthany ter. metro station.
The winding roads, seven steeples, colorful houses,
narrow back-alleys, Mediterranean atmosphere and two dozen museums make this
town on the Danube one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Hungary.
The Serbs who fled from the Turks and settled here in
the 16th and 17th centuries built a number of churches; of these, four still
belong to the Orthodox Church: the rococo-style Blagovestenska Church (Fő
square), Pozsarevacska Church (Kossuth Street 1), Preobrazsenszka Church (Bogdányi
Street 42) and the main church with its ornamented gate, the Belgrade Cathedral,
also called Saborna Cathedral (Alkotmány Street). The Catholic Church took over
the Csiprovacska (Péter-Pál) Church (Dumtsa J. Street), and the evangelists use
the Opovacska Church (Rákóczi Street 14). The icons, goldsmith’s work and other
treasures of the Serb Orthodox Ecclesiastical Art Museum (Pátriárka Street 5)
complete the display of the Serb churches.
On the wall of the thirteenth-fourteenth century Roman
Catholic Clergy-House Church on Castle Hill (Templom Square), we can find one of
the oldest sun-dials in the country. Everything here serves the tourists seeking
nostalgia: the shops, the restaurants, the name-plates, the monuments of Fő
Square, the ornaments on the houses, the photo-themes and one of the most
popular museums, Kovács Margit Museum (Vastagh György street 1), with its
charming figures representing the goodness and beauty originating from the
sources of humanity.
The most talented Hungarian family of artists of the
19th century was Károly Ferenczy (1862-1917) and his children. The works of the
Gobelin weaver Noémi, the sculptor Béni, and the painter Valér and his wife can
be seen in the Ferenczy Museum (Fő square 6).
Since the establishment of the Association of
Szentendre Painters in 1928,
collectons of the life-works of the town’s
twentieth-century artists have been some of the most valuable exhibitions. These
can be found in the following museums: the Ámos Imre-Anna Margit Museum (Bogdányi
Street 12), the Barcsay Collection (Dumtsa J. Street 10), the Czóbel Museum (Templom
Square 1), the Kerényi Museum (Ady Endre Street 5), the Kmetty János Museum (Fő
Square 21), the Vajda Lajos Memorial Museum (Hunyadi János Street 1), and the
Boromisza Statue (Duna Promenade 4). In the once Serbian, eighteenth-century
Merchant’s house, the Szentendrei Gallery (Fő Square 2-5), and the Artists’
Settlement (Bogdányi Street 51) we can see the temporary exhibitions of artists
working in the town today.
Szabó Marzipan Museum (Dumtsa J. street 14) offers an
ingenious presentation of its sweet ingredients, and the Dobos Confectionery
Museum offers real “dobostorta” (chocolate cake with a hard caramel top).
In the House of Folk Arts (Rákóczi street 1), we can
see the ethnography of Pest County. In the Roman Stone Collection (Dunakanyari
Boulevard 1), there are ancient artefacts from the 1st-4th century town of
Ulcisia Castra. The Art Mill (Bogdányi street 32) is a living workshop of
contemporary arts: the exhibitions are enlivened by attractive programs.
The Baby Museum (Sas Sreet18) is a great experience
for children, the National Wine Museum (Bogdányi Street 10) for the lovers of
good wine and the Ars Amandi Waxworks (Malom Street 4/A) for all age groups.
In the Museum of Transport (at the suburban railway
station), the matchlessly rich collection of public transport vehicles attracts
the tourists. Hungary’s biggest ethnographic collection can be found in the
Open-air Ethnographic Museum (Sztaravodai Street 1/ a, 3 km from the centre).
Artifacts from all over the country are exhibited here: once the museum has been
completed, we will be able to see examples of Hungarian folk architecture from
10 regions and 340 buildings. Presently, there are works from 7 regions, a Greek
church and a Calvinist rock garden. The museum, open from April to October,
holds folk craft exhibitions at the weekends and celebrates days significant in
the Hungarian tradition.
The works of contemporary and industrial artists can
be seen in 13 galleries. The works are available for sale as well.