Until today, many Hungarians have yet to learn of the Hospital in the Rocks: a secret underground hospital that was later converted into a nuclear fallout shelter. During the second World War, this hospital in the caverns under Buda Castle was under construction from 1939 to 1944, and went on to provide general emergency care for victims of the war. Although it was designed to treat only about 60 to 70 patients, there were times when it held ten times the capacity. These overcrowded conditions worsened the spread of infection and many were buried temporarily in bomb craters. Supplies were reused from corpses and the hygiene was appalling. Despite the hospital having advanced medical equipment, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients there.

During the Cold War, the hospital was expanded, although they were never used (thankfully). It was in 2002 that the hospital’s existence was declassified, having remained a government secret for decades. It is truly a rare chance to step into a former military bunker, with so many secrets still within the grasp of their occupants, and untold stories that we have yet to hear. Your visit will take you through a ward with beds filled with lifelike figures of ailing soldiers and the attending doctors. The operating theatres and machinery have been restored to wartime conditions, and you might get a hint of the desperation and fear that permeated this place. Don’t miss out on this unique experience while in Budapest!