Take a Look Into Budapest’s Past at the Hospital in the Rock

When bombs are falling from the sky, collapsing bridges, destroying roads, making food and basic supplies scarce or non-existent, how do you deal with emergencies? Where do you care for the wounded? Where can you create a safe space during air raids?

In Budapest, Hungary, during the Second World War the answer was the Hospital in the Rock.

This top secret cave system saved many lives during WWII and highlights an impressive, albeit devastating, piece of Hungary’s past.

What is the Hospital in the Rock?

Built in a series of natural caves stretching 600m underneath the Buda Castle, this peculiar medical institution was indeed one of the very few places safe from the raging Soviet - German battle which left the city in tatters.

The hospital was built back in the 1930’s, when it became clear that a new large-scale conflict was going to erupt in Europe. It was connected to the city’s main tunnel system, thus making it easy to reach in case of need.

During the siege of Budapest between 1944-45, when the Red Army and German forces were both given orders to “conquer Budapest at all costs,” the underground hospital, which had been designed to treat around 70 patients, had to welcome over 600 wounded soldiers and civilians.

Regardless of gender, race, religion, or ethnicity, civilians in Budapest could receive treatment at the Hospital in the Rock. Many lives were saved, but sadly during the last months of the siege, many were lost due to lack of water and basic medical equipment.

Is the Hospital in the Rock Still a Hospital?

After the war, the Hospital in the Rock was used just once during the Cold War. In 1956, during the Hungarian Revolution it was reopened but given a different purpose. It was transformed into a nuclear bunker that would serve as shelter for about 100 nurses and doctors, who could then re-emerge to treat the wounded in case of a nuclear attack.

For decades, the Hospital in the Rock was open and ready to receive civilians in case of a nuclear attack but luckily, was never actually used by anyone other than a caretaker and his wife.

The Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum

Photo Credit: Mistervlad

When you’re getting your Budapest travel itinerary in order and choosing which sightseeing spots to visit, I highly recommend you add this museum to your list. Located a short walk away from our Budahome Apartments at Lovas út 4/c in the Castle District, it’s a unique way to learn more about Hungary’s past.

Today the Hospital in the Rock provides a very interesting, although lesser known, way to take a glimpse into the city’s past. Now a museum, it vividly recreates the ambiance and feel of a real wartime hospital, with all of the original equipment and wax figures of doctors and patients.

It’s open year-round and guided tours are organized everyday. If you’re looking for an unusual way to dig into the city’s past, this might be just what you need.