Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The exhibits consist of a series of maps, graphic videos, photographs, personal effects and
interactive displays. The music is festive to begin with, but the final exhibits are accompan-
ied by the pounding heartbeat of the doomed communities. The videos of the death camps,
taken by the liberators, are particularly harrowing, featuring piles of corpses and emaciated
survivors. A sublimely restored synagogue in the central courtyard, designed by Leopold
Baumhorn and completed in 1924, hosts temporary exhibitions, while an 8m wall outside
features the names of Hungarian victims of the Holocaust.
A combined ticket with the
Zwack Unicum Heritage Visitors' Centre
costs 2800Ft.
MUSEUM
ZWACK UNICUM HERITAGE VISITORS' CENTRE
under 18yr 1800/800Ft; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri; 2, 24)
Unicum, the thick medicinal-tasting aperitif made from 40 herbs and spices, is one of Hun-
gary's favourite drinks and bitter as a loser's tears. To delve into its history head to this small
museum, which starts with a rather schmaltzy video, has an enormous collection of mini-
atures from across the globe and concludes with an educated tasting session.
A combined ticket with the
Holocaust Memorial Center
costs 2800Ft.
MUSEUM
LUDWIG MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
utca 1; adult/student & child 1300/650Ft; 10am-8pm Tue-Sun; 2, 24, 7 Közvágóhíd)
Housed in the architecturally controversial Palace of Arts opposite the National Theatre, the
Ludwig Museum holds Hungary's most important collection of international contemporary
art. Works by American, Russian, German and French artists span the past 50 years, while
Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, Polish and Slovenian works date from the 1990s.
The museum also holds frequent and very well received temporary exhibitions. Note that
the permanent collection closes at 6pm.
THEATRE
NATIONAL THEATRE
2, 7
Közvágóhíd)
Hard by the Danube in southwestern Ferencváros, the National Theatre opened in 2002 to
much controversy. The design, by architect Mária Siklós, is supposedly 'Eclectic' to mirror
other great Budapest buildings (Parliament, Opera House). The overall effect, however, is a
pick-and-mix of classical and folk motifs, porticoes, balconies and columns. An interesting
