Hungarian Terror House Museum Reopens Amid Dispute Over Exhibition Review

After a brief suspension, the Terror House Museum opened its doors again on Tuesday, with Minister Tarr Zoltán posting that the venue will operate while a content review by independent historians and curators proceeds. The shutdown followed the termination of former director Schmidt Mária’s contract and the museum’s transfer to the Cultural Asset Management Ltd., a subsidiary of the Ministry for Social Relations and Culture.

Schmidt and the ruling Fidesz party demanded her reinstatement and an apology from the minister, while a Sunday protest attracted several hundred participants, among them right-wing journalists Bayer Zsolt, Bencsik András, Huth Gergely, Szentesi Zöldi László, MP Menczer Tamás and singer Nagy Feró. An informational plaque at the entrance now informs visitors of the review, and entry is free for the first week to encourage public engagement. Schmidt described the plaque as demeaning and alleged political bias in the museum’s treatment.