The Hammer and Sickle Tour - A Walk Through Budapest's History
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Select date
Key Highlights
- Hark back to the olden days and experience a time gone by
- Find out what it was like during the 50 years of communism in Hungary
- You will be accompanied by an english speaking guide
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Overview
Hark back to the olden times when people drove Trabants, drank spirits at work, lived in block flats, stood in Banana Lines, had two passports and coupon books.
Budapest is a country with an interesting heritage and unique cultural past. On this tour visit an exhibition displaying some of the furniture, artefacts, readers, and relics of that time.
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Activity Schedule & Itinerary
Activity Schedule
When does it run?1 Feb 18 - 31 Jan 19 : Daily
Duration3 hours
Start timeStart time: 1430h (2:30pm)
Duration: 3 hoursEnding PointMeeting PointTour begins at Absolute Tour Center - 1065 Budapest, Lázár utca 16. (just behind the Opera House)
Please report at the meeting point 15 minutes before the start time. This is mandatory to allow time for pre-departure briefing.The tour ends in center of the city, close to public transport links
Itinerary
You will be accompanied by an English speaking guide for The Hammer and Sickle tour. Written and raved about in the NY Times, Wall Street Journal and other major newspapers around the world, this tour takes you on a journey through the 50 years of communism in Hungary.
We summarize how it all started, how big brother told us what to do and what not to do. We’ll teach you about how life was like behind the iron curtain. How children were brought up, how families lived, how we traveled, where we could travel, how long it took to get a passport and many other interesting experiences from black markets to banana lines.
Also included on the tour is our own private exhibition room, where we will introduce you to the real features of a Hungarian home through relics to typical furniture and furnishings.Furthermore we have an extensive collection of many communist related artifacts and relics, such as red and blue passports, party member’s registration book, pins, medals, currency and huge placards to help your understanding of the propaganda we once lived under!
Along the tour we introduce you to the historical approach through the last 200 years of contemporary Hungarian history.Hungary's past is filled with victories, failures and struggles. We lead you through these eventful times through the sights depicting the historical outcome and how it shaped Hungary today.
On the tour we go through the Hungarian history that “shook” the world with the 1956 revolution as one of the main highlighted themes. Prior to the revolution in 1956 a plethora of events such as the War of Independence, Great Compromise, WWI, WWII gave huge significance to the meaning behind the Hungarian quest for freedom. After delving through the recent history we take a microscopic approach towards the newly appointed communist government after World War II that led to the events of the 1956 Revolution. Some of our stops and stories will be about our Liberty Square for Cardinal Mindszenty’s part in the revolution as well as the significance of the square and the last remaining tribute to the Soviet Union! We will also see Imre Nagy's memorial. Another stop will be the Parliament area where shots were fired, which instigated the revolt to take up arms and defend one’s freedom.
The 1956 Uprising was a short-lived battle on the streets. However, many Hungarians quietly plotted their flight from communism and finally laid to rest the horrible memories through the reburial of Imre Nagy, leading to free elections and a return to a free society.
The tour finishes by returning to the operator's local center behind the Opera House.
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Inclusions & Exclusions
Inclusions
- Private English speaking guide
- Entry to private exhibition room about communist times
Exclusions
- Food and beverages
- Gratuity
- Pick up & Drop off
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Please note
Please call the activity operator at least 24 hours prior to start of the tour for reconfirming departure details.
Please report at the meeting point 15 minutes before the start time. This is mandatory to allow time for pre-departure briefing.
Ability to climb 1 flight of stairs (10-12), walk continuously at reasonable pace for 2-3 hrs with frequent stops.
Tour goes in all weather conditions, not responsible for unforeseen delays or accidents.
Itinerary subject to change
Additional info
The confirmation voucher includes the local activity operator’s contact details and local telephone numbers at the destination. They will happily answer any logistical questions you may have. -
Customer Reviews
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A better understanding of life behind the Iron Curtain
After this tour, we have a much better understanding of what life was like behind the Iron Curtain. After an introduction (which was a bit too long), we walked to a number of...
Doug Couture, Canada, 28/Jun/2015
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