Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum (Budapest, Hungary)
The Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum in Budapest reveals the dramatic history of a World War II emergency hospital later transformed into a Cold War nuclear shelter, combining powerful reconstructions with a strong educational mission.
The Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum lies beneath Buda Castle in the centre of Budapest, where a natural limestone cave system was transformed into a bomb-proof refuge during the Second World War. In response to the threat of air raids, a hospital was created underground, treating patients during the Siege of Budapest in 1944–45 and again in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. In the Cold War era of the 1960s the facility was adapted into a nuclear bunker, classified as Top Secret until 2002.
Fifteen metres below ground, the museum opened to the public in 2008. Visitors can explore reconstructed wards, an operating theatre and an x-ray department, brought to life with 200 wax figures created in-house. Operated by “The Rock” Public Benefit Foundation, the museum is independent of political parties, ideologies and churches, and receives no state subsidy.
Education and accessibility are central to its mission. Interactive guided tours and history lessons engage school groups, while the museum makes efforts to ensure that even those unable to afford admission can experience its message. Since 2017, with UTI funding, the Foundation has supported school trips for around 1,000 children each year. In 2019 it launched the Hospital in the Rock Academy, an e-learning programme that extends the museum experience online. Focused on the perspective of medical staff working under extreme wartime conditions, the museum offers a powerful insight into Hungary’s 20th-century conflicts.
With its unique underground setting, dedicated team and strong commitment to education, the Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum has become one of Budapest’s most distinctive cultural institutions and an important candidate for the DASA Award 2023.