Budapest Part 4: The Soviet Look
Granite sculpture of Lenin.
Did you ever wonder what communism looked like? I did. In my young 1950’s/60’s brain I imagined that it was a greyscale world in the communist countries which I heard about on the radio. When I found out that Statue and Memento Park existed I had to go. But it isn't for everyone. It takes some effort to get there, so if you're not a political or history buff it may not excite you. It's interesting but without the polished presentation of many museums or sculpture parks. I love visiting places like Memento Park, so here we go.
Budapest is a world-class city with a complex past. The Soviet era definitely left its mark on the city and its populace. A short history may help you understand why Memento Park is more than just a sculpture garden. It represents a way of life spanning about 46 years.
Statue entitled “Workers Movement Memorial”, depicting workers encompassing the globe. Notice the eroding foam core beneath a thin metal skin.
Shortly after WWII elections were held in Hungary and communists won some national offices. Through various shenanigans, they outlawed other political parties and renamed the country “People’s Republic of Hungary”. They also started executing & imprisoning political enemies. Industry, banking, retail, foreign trade was all nationalized. A student revolution led to the Hungarian revolution in 1956. Khrushchev ended that by sending in the Red Army. New leaders wanted more prosperity and by the 1980’s trade with the west had increased and Hungary transitioned to a western style democracy. They gained their independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR. Hungary joined the EU in 2004.
The only remnants of a very large statue of Stalin.
Memento Park displays some of the propaganda ”art” from the Soviet time. It is an outdoor sculpture garden. Paintings and other works can be found in the Hungarian National Museum.
Martyrs of the Counter-Revolution Monument.
We took a couple of subways and a bus to get there, When we got out of the bus at the park, we didn’t see it at first. It has a very unremarkable sign identifying it. A walk up a short path led us to a large wall with a pair of boots on the top of it. These were the only remnants of a very large statue of Stalin toppled during the Revolution.
Republic of the Councils Monument is truly monumental!
Brick archways lead to a ticket booth/souvenir shop. The first display we came to was a Trabant, (pictured above). The Trabant was a Soviet manufactured car, notorious for it’s poor quality, lack of emissions control and slow, uncomfortable ride. It crept along with a 2-cycle engine at 0-60mph in 21 seconds. It also took 10-13 years to get one after it was ordered. The exterior body is made of plastic, the seats had some sort of straw like substance as cushions. It is very small and sat four at most. However we did see “Trabant Tours” of Budapest available while we were there.
Communist youth were also immortalized.
The main part of the garden was an open area with various sculptures dotting the field. It was very hot and dry that day and the grass crunched as we walked in the sun. We met two young Italian ladies and a few other folks there, not crowded. .
Red Army soldier statue.
The sculptures were interesting but rather lifeless despite some of them being large and representing progress of the working man (I imagine). They were not inspiring in the romantic sense, but rather inspiring in the “you better comply, or else” sense. Later in our trip, in Romania, we spoke with locals who talked about the bleakness of the Soviet era. I suppose Memento Park lived up to my imaginings of the Soviet times: not very enticing, utilitarian and controlling…but the sun was shining. 🌞
