World War 1 exhibition in Castle Garden Bazaar

World War 1 – A new world has born

The permanent exhibition showcases World War 1, which changed the world drastically.

It guides visitors from the “belle époque”, the happy years of peace through wartime enthusiasm to bitter disillusionment.

A quote from Napoleon serves as the subtitle of the exhibition:

A war between Europeans should be considered a civil war.

Napoleon

World War I was fought for the domination of Europe and as the colonies of the great powers were also dragged into the conflict, it expanded into a confrontation on a global scale.

Centuries old dynasties became outlaws, forced to abdicate and were bereaved of their wealth – or even killed with their entire family.

Old Europe was scorched and erased by World War I.

According to Dr Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Human Resources, more than 660,000 Hungarian soldiers lost their lives between 1914-18.

The loss was almost twice those of the Second World War.

Hungary as part of the dual monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, allied to Germany and Turkey against Britain, France and Russia, and from 1915, Italy.

The defeat in 1918 broke up the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Hungary became a republic. Its borders were significantly reduced under Treaty of Trianon in 1920, instantly casting millions of Hungarians outside of their national borders.

According to Dr Rétvári, “If Hungary had been able to manage its foreign and military affairs individually back in 1914, the country would have had “different borders and a different history in the 20th century.”

“A nation that knows and has extensive knowledge of its history can expect a long-term future. A nation that forgets its history, does not preserve it and does not get familiar with it is, however, less likely to have a bright future in the long term,” Bence Rétvári said.

The exhibition does not analyze the reasons behind WWI, nor the consequences; it only holds a mirror to our humanity. Guests are just reminded of the human cost of the war.

Ticket prices and opening times

Full price admission: 4000 Ft

Reduced admission: 2500 Ft

Family: 8000 Ft

Group admission: 3600 Ft

Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

How to get there

Location: Castle Garden Bazaar, Southern palaces

Bus No. 16: from downtown Pest, Deák Ferenc tér. Get off at Clark Ádám square

Public boat: boat No. 11 (operating between Kopaszi-gát and Újpest, Árpád híd) to the stop ‘Várkert Bazár’.

Or you can just walk across Elizabeth or Chain Bridges. The Bazaar is located right between these bridges on the Buda side.

Other interesting attractions in the area

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