Budapest Guide
Józsefváros and Ferencváros
The Police History Museum
Opening time: Tues– Sun 9am–5pm
Price: Free
Address: Mosconyi utca 7
Website: www.policehistorymus.com
The Police History Museum (Rendőrség-Történeti Múzeum) is guarded by a dummy sentry. Since the exhibits are largely captioned in Hungarian only, you can easily miss the ideological cast of the display of uniforms and memorabilia going back to Habsburg times, which harbours a tribute to the Communist border guards and militia, and CIA leaflets inciting the Uprising. Be thankful you're not an exhibit in the other hall, where many displays depict murders and mutilations in horrific detail, unlike the staged – and very Sixties – crime scene with a sign listing key points for trainee investigators. Stuff on forgery and art theft in the 1980s begs the question why there's nothing about crime in Hungary nowadays. The show ends with a fraternal display of police uniforms from fellow forces in the EU, and there's also a shop selling police memorabilia, where you can have your fingerprints taken as a souvenir.