The Hammer and Sickle Tour - A Walk Through Budapest's History

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. 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.

About the Supplier

Discover Central Europe is formed by the 'European Quartet' of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, and offer the best experiences in the four countries, promoted by the local tourism boards. Their tours and activities aim to show tourists the distinct architecture, art, religion, folklore and traditions or landscape that each country is known for.

Here is the plan...

The tour summarizes how it all started, how big brother told the people what to do and what not to do. The guide will tell you about how life was like behind the iron curtain. How children were brought up, how families lived, how they traveled, where they 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 a private exhibition room, where the guide will introduce you to the real features of a Hungarian home through relics to typical furniture and furnishings. Furthermore, you will see an extensive collection of many communist related artefacts and relics, such as red and blue passports, party member’s registration book, pins, medals, currency and huge placards to help you understand the propaganda that the Hungarians once lived under! 

Along the tour, you will be introduced to the historical approach through the last 200 years of contemporary Hungarian history. Hungary's past is filled with victories, failures and struggles. The guide will lead you through these eventful times through the sights depicting the historical outcome and how it shaped Hungary today. 

You will go through the Hungarian history that “shook” the world with the 1956 revolution as one of the main highlighted themes. Prior to the revolution, a plethora of events such as the War of Independence, Great Compromise, WWI, WWII gave colossal 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.