Housed in the old Pava Street Synagogue, the Holocaust Memorial Centre consistently ranks among Budapest’s top places to visit. Above all, it commemorates the Holocaust’s Hungarian Jewish victims. Arriving here, you’re struck by the strange, asymmetrical architecture. The designers, István Mányi and Attila Gáti, explain that it represents “the distorted and twisted time” of the atrocity.

Inside you’ll find an unusually interactive museum display, featuring original film, photographs and objects. The interior of the synagogue has been renovated, its bright blues and golds contrasting with the dark topic at hand. If you know of a relative who died in the Holocaust, you can search their name on the Centre’s database; and if they’re not there, you can add them.

The centre also puts on events, so be sure to check out what’s on.

Budapest has several other Holocaust memorials, including Shoes on the Danube and the Emmanuel Tree. You can read about these elsewhere in the Divento website. What the Memorial Centre offers, though, is a learning experience rather than a spectacle. It’s also a worthwhile contrast with the more buzzing, hectic sights which attract tourists to the city.

Holokauszt Emlékközpont

1094 Budapest, Páva St. 39