Budapest Museum of Military History

The Museum of Military History (Hadtorteneti Muzeum) in Budapest houses a series of collections relating to Hungary’s history of warfare from medieval times to the world wars and beyond.

While its exhibits of weaponry, armour, flags, uniforms and coins is impressive, it is very much something for the military enthusiast, especially since all of the explanations are only provided in Hungarian.

History of Budapest Museum of Military History

The building that now houses the museum was originally built as an army barrack in the 1830s. The museum itself was established in the early 1920s with the aim to research, organise and exhibit artefacts related to Hungarian military history.

The building was damaged during World War Two and much of its contents were destroyed.

Budapest Museum of Military History today

The MoD Military History Institute and Museum’s principal aim is to research, uncover and organize the material heritage of Hungarian military history and related international military history, in close cooperation with local museums and organizations, in Hungary and abroad as well.

Despite the damage sustained in World War Two, the museum now has a varied collection covering a range of periods of Hungarian history..

Its main attractions include a remarkable collection of historical weaponry from before the 150-year Turkish occupation to the recent past; uniforms, maps, shells, flags, a coin collection containing about 28,000 items,

Exhibits focus particularly on three periods: 1815 to 1867, including the 1848–49 War of Independence; 1868 to 1914; and 1914 to 1948, including both words wars, the Hungarian Royal Army under the command of Admiral Miklós Horthy (1918–43) and early years under communism.

There is a particularly moving collection that describes and displays the events of the Revolution of 1956, a nationwide uprising against the government of the Hungarian People’s Republic and its Soviet friendly policies, lasting for less than a month and bloodily suppressed by the Soviet troops.

In addition to the story of Hungary’s history of warfare, there are some cannons by the entrance in the beautiful courtyard along with a few cannonballs in the wall (dating back to the Revolutions of 1848-49) and there is an outdoor statue and memory park providing a magnificent view of the River Danube.

The institution is also a research centre with a library and archives, housing national and international conferences, events. The museum welcomes over 100,000 guests a year.

Getting to the Budapest Museum of Military History

The imposing building of the MoD Military History Institute and Museum is located in the north-western corner of Buda Castle, one of the most popular spots amongst tourists in Budapest. It is easily accessible by public transport, such as bus route 16.