We spent the day learning more about Budapest and Hungray's history. We began the day with a walking tour in the Jewish Quarter. We learned about the history of the Hungarian Jewish people. Our tour guide was of Jewish heritage and shared her family's specific stories as well as general stories. We walked through the ghetto, where Jewish people were taken and locked inside the walls. She showed us where the walls used to stand. It was heartbreaking to think of what the people went through, yet she said in Hungary the time was much shorter due to them being allies of Germany for so long. It was when Hungary decided they did not want to fight anymore that Nazi occupation began.
She claimed this was the oldest building in Pest, our side of the Danube. We are skeptical though and starting to think we heard her wrong. But if it is the oldest, it is worth getting its picture in the blog...so here goes.
Mandy, Johan, and Malia are posing in front of the 2nd largest Synagogue in the world. The largest Synagogue is located in on 5th Ave in New York City.
On the walk, we learned that the Jewish people had occupied Budapest much longer than the Roman Catholic people. Before and during the world wars, although they made up less than 10% of the population, they were 25% of the students in higher education. And in honor of International Women's day today, she made sure to point out that 50% of the women were Jewish. It made it apparent how important education was/is in their culture. We also visited 3 synagogues on the way.
Synagogue 1: Dohány Street Synagogue, described above.
Synagogue 2: Rumbach zsinagóga
Synagogue 3: Kazinczy Schul
The Jewish quarter, where we are staying, hosts an annual street art festival. Through a rehab project, the city authorized 8 different building to be painted over with murals. This was one of our favorites.
This mural celebrates Hungray's soccer team beating England in 1953, stopping their 90 year winning streak. The Captian of the team was buried with the Kings. The Englishman on our tour was less than impressed with the story or the mural.
Fun Hungarian fact, the rubics cube was invented by Erno Rubic, a Hungarian who currently resides in Budapest.
In front of the House of Terror museum, this monument stood to represent the iron curtain, the symbolical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas after WWII from 1945 until 1991 the end of the Cold War. Next to it stood a real section of the Berlin Wall.
Then, there was the House of Terror museum. It was one of the most moving, educational, and artistic museums that we have ever visited. We were unable to take pictures, but would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Budapest. It took us through the history of Europe and Soviet nation country boarders forming to the German Nazi control of Hungary to the Soviet Communist control of Hungary. We toured the basement where many were imprisoned for years and executed for crimes they did not commit, most often for speaking out against the communist regime. They lived through so much struggle for such a long period. They did not have their first democratic election until 1990.
After a heavy day of learning, we ventured our way home through a market and marveled at the Hungarian goodies...
And Hungarian pizza... Actually grabbed a slice of this...
Tomorrow we have a full day planned. We are going to take ourselves over to the Buda side of the Danube and explore the castle district, a labyrinth under the castle, fisherman's bastion, the Gallért Thermal Bath, the central market and probably so much more. Sorry this was a wordy one, but there was so much to sum up, cannot even do it justice...
Jó éjszakát!