museum review of
Hungary national railway museum - Budapest (Magyar Vasúttörténeti Park)
The Hungarian National Railway Museum, located in a quiet suburb of Budapest, the "Magyar Vasúttörténeti Park"—probaly translated as the "Hungarian Old Train Junkyard Park." The park is enormous, featuring a large turntable with various old steam locomotives, a restaurant, and more vintage trains. There's also a fun area with handcars that kids can ride, and a rotating house filled with fascinating pre-war wagons, locomotives, and other unique items.
One of the highlights is a special train car built in 1938 for a major ecclesiastical congress in Budapest, coinciding with the 900th death anniversary of Saint Stephen. This train was designed to carry the preserved hand of Saint Stephen across the country for four years, displayed behind beautiful glass. Unfortunately, all the details about this and other exhibits are only in Hungarian, so Google Translate was essential.
While the museum is impressive in size, the quality of the trains varies. Some trains are visibly deteriorating, with paint peeling off, and many are either filled with old furniture or stripped bare, making them less enjoyable to explore. The trains are also scattered randomly around the park, with no clear timeline or story connecting them.
It’s commendable that railway enthusiasts managed to save so many trains from being scrapped, but proper maintenance is the next step. For example, instead of preserving and restoring one of the trains for use as a museum piece, there are several left to rust in the open. There are some stunning trains, like one that looks straight out of a dystopian sci-fi film or a luxurious salon car from 1944.
In conclusion, it's a shame that part of the collection is so rusted or inaccessible, but the well-maintained sections are impressive enough on their own. If the entire park were restored to the same standard, it would easily be a 10/10. As it stands, it's still a solid 7.5/10.
One of the highlights is a special train car built in 1938 for a major ecclesiastical congress in Budapest, coinciding with the 900th death anniversary of Saint Stephen. This train was designed to carry the preserved hand of Saint Stephen across the country for four years, displayed behind beautiful glass. Unfortunately, all the details about this and other exhibits are only in Hungarian, so Google Translate was essential.
While the museum is impressive in size, the quality of the trains varies. Some trains are visibly deteriorating, with paint peeling off, and many are either filled with old furniture or stripped bare, making them less enjoyable to explore. The trains are also scattered randomly around the park, with no clear timeline or story connecting them.
It’s commendable that railway enthusiasts managed to save so many trains from being scrapped, but proper maintenance is the next step. For example, instead of preserving and restoring one of the trains for use as a museum piece, there are several left to rust in the open. There are some stunning trains, like one that looks straight out of a dystopian sci-fi film or a luxurious salon car from 1944.
In conclusion, it's a shame that part of the collection is so rusted or inaccessible, but the well-maintained sections are impressive enough on their own. If the entire park were restored to the same standard, it would easily be a 10/10. As it stands, it's still a solid 7.5/10.