Budapest

The drive from Krakow to Hungary was beautiful. The drive went through the Tatra Mountains. There were many little sites that were interesting and visually appealing:
-Skansen- wooden houses built without any nails. The community is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
-The castle where the original Dracula film was made.
-The Polish and Slovakian countryside was really beautiful.
-One quick fact: During World War II, the leader of Slovakia (who was also a Catholic priest) volunteered 50,000 Jews to be exterminated in order to attempt to stay on good terms with the Nazi government. The church has officially apologized for this priest’s actions.

General Information about Hungary

World War II came to Hungary in 1944. The nation was able to avoid much of the damage that befell man other European nations. With that said, 600,000 Jews still lost their lives in the year that Nazi’s occupied the country. In 1920, Hungarians sided with the Fascists. In 1948, the Communists took over. The people in jails just switched. The Communists that were in jail under the Fascists were freed when the Communists came to power after WWII.

Russian liberation was a major tragedy for Hungary. At the end of WWII, 200,000 Hungarian women were raped by Russian soldiers. The women would use makeup to make themselves appear less attractive to avoid getting raped.

After WWII, things were growing dire for many Hungarians. They were living in rough conditions and grew weary of Communist control. Being the revolutionaries that they are, a group of individuals went into Heroes Square (behind the art museum) and ripped down and began hammering a statue that was erected of Stalin. This revolution failed and a significant number of Hungarians were executed right after (the portraits outside the Tower of Terror Museum) Some 200,000 people fled Hungry in the failed 1956 revolution, thus creating large Hungarian communities outside of the country.

Apart from the general history of the nation that I was able to piece together from part of a tour and going throughout the Budapest, I had difficulty finding out specific information about WWII and the Holocaust and how Budapest was specifically affected. I did not know that museums were closed on Mondays in Europe. As a result, I was unable to go to two places that I was really looking forward to seeing (the Holocaust Museum and the Tower of Terror).Il also ended up getting separated from a tour group and spent three hours one afternoon trying to find my way back from the top of the mountain on the Buda side to my hotel across the river on the Pest side. Here are some important sites that I had the opportunity to visit:

Heroes’ Square: This is the heart of Budapest. The history of the nation through 1900can be told in terms of leadership through each one of the figures. The square also has a tragic past as it was the where the failed 1956 revolution started.

The Szechenyi Bath: After getting lost and walking about seven miles back to the hotel, I was tired and I just needed to relax. I thought the best solution was to go for a swim. This is the largest spa and pool complex in Europe. It was built in 1927 and was thought to have curative powers for ailments. As you will see from the pictures, I had a wonderful time. It felt like I was swimming in the pool of an elegant palace. European men do not cover up very well, many men like to wear skimpy bathing suits. This is a major tradition in Hungary.



Synagogue: There is a tremendous Holocaust Memorial (that I will write about in my next posting) and a cemetery where Holocaust victims were buried. The building was made to resemble a Catholic church.

Scenic Budapest(Danube River, Parliament, Matthias Church): There are so many beautiful sites; you’ll see the pictures when I can post them. The Parliament was exceptionally beautiful; there are 700 empty rooms that they don’t know what to do with there. Matthias Church was the place where I got lost.

Random fact: Hungarians has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Hungarians have the highest heart attack rate.