We’d wanted to visit this part of Europe for quite some time and our week in Budapest, Hungary and Kraków, Poland delivered a very different experience from the more populated Western Europe destinations.
Sitting either side of the Danube River, Budapest was our first stop and the start of our short trip through Eastern Europe.
We were looking forward to exploring the Old Town and seeing the iconic Parliament building, but also eager to learn more about Hungary’s history – particularly around WWII and its following years under Soviet communist rule.
Our first full day began with a walking tour in the Pest region focused on communist history.
Hungary aligned with the Nazi’s during WWII, until the government realised they were on the losing side and tried to back away. The result was an invasion by German forces, somewhat welcomed by Budapest’s residents, and then a long and ugly battle with the Soviet Red Army for control of the city. The Russian victory thus began nearly 50 years for Hungary under communist Soviet rule.
It is a dark and bloody history. Our guide took us through many areas of the town, talking about how communism affected television (propaganda), living conditions, religion, and education, as well as the persecution of millions under the mantra “if you are not with us, you are against us.”
We spent our afternoon exploring the Buda side of the city, visiting the Royal Palace, Matthias Church and an interesting museum which we highly recommend. It is part of an extensive tunnel system under the Palace which was once an underground hospital used during the war, and later a nuclear bunker prepared during the Cold War.
We visited some other beautiful city sites including the Heroes Square and Vajdahunyad Castle, Saint Stephen’s Basilica and witnessed the postcard perfect image of the Parliament lit up at night along the Danube.
On our last day in Budapest we toured the House of Terror – a museum which was once the headquarters of the Soviet secret police (where ‘enemies’ were questioned, tortured and sometimes killed). We also toured the old Jewish Quarter of the city, visited some beautiful synagogues and a popular Ruin Bar (ie old communist building converted into a nightclub), and enjoyed some delicious local beers and tasty beef goulash stew.
Our next stop was Kraków, the former capital of Poland. The Old Town is beautiful and far less touristy than other Western Europe cities. Unlike other Old Towns, the buildings and Palace where The Polish royal family once lived is original as it was never bombed during the war.
We took the day trip out to the Auschwitz Nazi concentration and extermination camps – now a memorial and museum dedicated to the estimated 1.1 million people who lost their lives there during arguably the darkest period of human history, The Holocaust.
It was a powerful experience to say the least, that many people undertake once in their lifetime.
The next day we made our way to a museum housed within one of Oskar Schindler’s wartime factories. He saved more than 1000 Polish Jewish people who would have otherwise been killed during WWII and his legacy is remembered at this site which explores Poland’s timeline, from the first anti-Semitic laws, to the establishment of Jewish ghettos and eventual deportation to concentration camps.
As history buffs, our trip through Eastern Europe was fascinating, albeit quite sad. However it serves as a constant reminder for those who visit, to never allow history to repeat.
Of course it wasn’t all nazis and communism, we found time to enjoy the cities’ delicious food and beers…
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