The world’s 24th Madame Tussauds location opened in Palazzo Dorottya two years ago, and includes halls for celebrities and the most famous figures of history, culture, and science, among which 17 are related to Hungary
Madame Tussauds Budapest brings 51 lifelike figures and their breathtaking installations to the public in this brand new experience. Visitors can meet 17 Hungary-related figures that have been created specifically for the Hungarian production in secret, in the Madame Tussauds studio near London.
As part of the planning phase, the public of Budapest were asked in a large-scale survey who they would like to see and were most interested in. As a result, historical figures, stars, athletes, cultural icons and a world-famous Hungarian scientist are all on the list.
They included Harry Houdini, Katinka Hosszú, Katalin Karády, Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Liszt, Béla Lugosi, King Matthias, Mihály Munkácsy, János Neumann, Barbara Palvin, László Papp, Sándor Petőfi, Ferenc Puskás, Sissi, King Stephen I, István Széchenyi, and Jimmy Zambo.
Guests can also exclusively meet the lifelike figures of Bud Spencer, Chuck Norris and Peter Falk who are only on display in Madame Tussauds Budapest. Other notable figures are Beyonce, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, Freddie Mercury, Lionel Messi, Pope Francis, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Donald Trump.
Budapest is not only the location but also the inspiration for the exhibition. Guests can, walk through ”the Tunnel”, ”date” stars on the promenade of the Danube River, be a part of a movie scene at the Fisherman’s Bastion with a helicopter, and dive into the remarkable world of spas.
A historical location
Madame Tussauds is located in one of Budapest’s most impressive monuments, the Palazzo Dorottya, a palace handed over in the 1820s that also bears the marks of the hands of two famous designers, Mihály Pollack and Alajos Hauszmann.
The legendary Wurm coffee house once operated here, which was mainly visited by bankers and merchants, as well as chess players – Ferenc Erkel was also a regular guest here. At the end of the 19th century, it became the headquarter of the Magyar Leszámító és Pénzváltó Bank.
The heart of the palace is the former cashier’s hall, the impressive Hauszmann Hall, which was given a new function as the main exhibition space. The exhibition occupies more than 2,000 accessible square meters on the ground floor of the building.