The Hospital in the Rock (Cultural Proof #1)

The following blog post is written for my McBride honors class, I was asked to visit a museum and hear from native speakers about some of the events in their history. 

On Friday this week I had the pleasure of visiting the Hospital in the Rock in the Palace district of Budapest. We went in the afternoon, and we were able to see an English guided tour, presented to us by a native Hungarian.

A Hungarian mentor from my university suggested that we see the museum, because she thought it was one of the best in Budapest. She tried to explain why she liked it so much, and I think that it boiled down to the rawness of the material covered. The tour does not shy away from telling the story of Hungarian trials and tribulations. This museum does not contain art or creative expression, it serves only to tell the story of the people who lived and died underground in this hospital.

****We were not allowed to take photographs during the tour, but I have included some photos from the internet****

This photo of Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The museum itself is located underneath the famous Buda castle, and is part of a natural cave system. It was built in preparation for World War II, but saw its most heavy use during the the Siege of Budapest, when the allied forces destroyed the city. During this time, the hospital was equiped to treat about sixty patients, but they ended up seeing several hundred soldiers and civilians at a time! It was the only place in the city that had electricity, but the doctors and nurses faced many hardships as the hospital lost access to water and supplies. The tour guide, however, was pleased to tell us that despite these hardships, the medical staff were able to save thousands of lives. 

Later, during the 1956 Revolution, the hospital was used again. This was also a sad time for the Hungarian people. They were the first to revolt against the hardships of living behind the Iron Curtain, but after bloody protests, no progress was made. the tour guide informed us that the flag of Hungary used to contain a Soviet star in the middle, and during the revolution the star was cut out. A few days after the tour, I was walking to the grocery story and I saw a Hungarian flag flying from a nearby apartment complex. Something caught my eye. This flag contained a hole! This means that this symbol is still present in Hungary today, which makes a statement about Hungarian national pride, even though the actual event was a failure. 

This flag contains a hole in the middle, which is from the Hungarian revolution of 1956. This photograph was taken a block from my flat.

As the tour began, I was struck by the tone of our tour guide. Although the audience was full of international tourists, the guide was clearly passionate about the history of her people and country. She told the grave stories of the thousands of soldiers and civilians, and she did not make any sort of lighthearted jokes. This experience was very impactful, and it complimented the gravity of the history. 

This photo is courtesy of Trip Advisor
Although the wax figures were a little bit creepy, all of the instruments in the museum were original! 

At the beginning of the tour, I asked my American acquaintance what the siege of Budapest was, and she had no idea. Pretty soon, the story was told by the guide. The allied forces destroyed almost the entire city, they ruined every bridge, and they brought devastation to the citizens of Budapest. The soldiers in the city had to fight until the end, because the Axis forces believed that it was the last stronghold before the cities in Germany. We don't hear about this in American history classes, even if they are focused on European history. Usually I think of war as a game of chess. We learn about famous generals moving the pieces and using strategy to rid the world of people. We do not think about the pieces we have lost, or the collateral damage caused. 

The world wars have brought damage to almost every major city in Europe, and especially in the east. Because of this, the beautiful buildings and monuments have often been reconstructed. Luckily, they have done such a beautiful job of restoring churches and palaces, so as to maintain the beauty for many years to come. However, the Hospital in the Rock taught me a lot about devastation from conflict. It ruins lives, cities and cultures. 

In the cold war, the hospital became an underground bunker for protection from atomic weapons. Parts of the museum showed the showers, hair-cutting stations and gas masked that were stored in the case of emergency. Luckily, the shelter was never used, but the scary thing is that now the Hospital in the Rock would be powerless against new atomic weapons. They would have the power to destroy cities with no hope of survivors, and no use for the heroic efforts of medical professionals. As technology becomes more advance, we must look to the past. Places like the Hospital in the Rock tell the old stories, so that hopefully the world does not make the same mistakes again. 

As the semester goes on I hope to speak to more Hungarian students about the Hospital in the Rock and hear what they have to say. I will update this blog post accordingly.