Budapest Statue Park: Relics from the Communist Past of Budapest

The Statue Park in Budapest is becoming one of the hottest destinations for visitors. Not too long ago I had no idea about it but then tourists started asking me on the street about. Excuse me, how do I get to the Statue Park? Erh, could you tell us where the Statue Park is? Which way is it to the Statue Park? Statue Park this, Statue Park that.

And when friends from England visited us in Budapest and wanted to go to the Statue Park, I wanted to go too. First of all, I had no idea where the Statue Park is. We had to rely on their guidebook and dry out of the city to the old road #70. Just before you reach a little town called Diosd, you see a not-too-big sign announcing "Szoborpark" (Statue Park).

Although it is way out of the city, there are regular tourist buses going there from downtown (Deak Square). You buy the ride and the ticket. At the entrance of the park itself, you can see all the buses and the groups of tourists, lining up to get in.

The Statue Park itself is small gravel park with statues from the Communist period. I was immediately taken back to my childhood when some of the sculptures were around. For example, I had no idea that the sculpture of the Russian officer Ostapenko was here. It used to stand where highway #7 enters the city, coming from Vienna. In fact, that place used to be called "at the Ostapenko," sometimes we still call it like that, even though the sculpture disappeared after 1989.

And there were other scupltures I used to see daily, all arranged here in this large opendoor museum. And while our foreign guests were thrilled with the spectacular display of Communist propaganda, I was drowning in nostalgic sentiments. To me the Statue Park meant only the past, my childhood. The statues had nothing to do with Communists and the Soviets.

In any case, when people visit us, I take them to the Statue Park outside of Budapest. It is a nice place outside of the city and our visitors are always fascinated by the remains of the Communist past. The horrors of Communism. Life behind the Iron Curtain. Eastern Europe during the years of oppression. And so on...