WDEC 2025 in Budapest

Discover the activities that took place in Fiumei Road Cemetery as part of the WDEC 2025 and the Gardens of 80 project.

New Flower Bed

As part of this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries and the Gardens of 80 project, a new flower bed was created at the World War II memorial, a frequently visited part of the Fiumei Road Cemetery. The composition, featuring a dove and the number 80, was made of flowers in two colors and symbolizes 80 years of peace following the end of World War II.

Live Image Flash Mob

On May 9, 2025, a special event took place at Fiumei Road Cemetery, where students came together to create a powerful visual message of unity and hope. Together, they formed the word “PEACE” in a coordinated human formation flash mob.

This formation was recorded by a drone. The footage was later enhanced with a musical background and shared publicly as a meaningful message of peace.

Message of Peace

Mr. Gábor Móczár, General Director of the Hungarian National Heritage Institute, took a short walk through the newly planted tree alley at Fiumei Road Cemetery, consisting of nearly 80 trees, and shared his message of peace in a brief speech.

Guided Walk

A special guided walk entitled "The Struggle of Our Ancestors Is Transformed into Peace Through Remembrance" will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery, commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. During the programme, we will explore life’s works of the writers, poets, and visual artists buried here, seeking to understand how the themes of war and peace appear in their creative legacy.

Highlights of the walk include:

• The Memorial to the Hungarian Victims of World War II
• Poets Mihály Babits and Miklós Radnóti
• Sculptor György Zala and painter Jenő Barcsay
• Composer Ferenc Erkel

The walk took place on May 9, 2025, and was conducted in Hungarian.

The photo was taken at the grave of Endre Ady during the guided walk. His poem “Man Among Inhumanity” became an iconic anti-war piece during World War II.

Additional information

For any questions, please contact István Kovács at istvan.kovacs@nori.gov.hu.

WDEC 2024 at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

Discover the tours that will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest, during the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2024.

May 25 at 10:00 a.m., Memorial Day of Hungarian heroes

Commemoration of the Hungarian National Guard and representatives of military and social organizations with wreath-laying.

The Fiume Road Graveyard National Memorial is where many heroes of modern Hungary are laid to rest. People, whose actions and decisions had an impact on Hungary’s fate. On the Day of Remembrance of Hungarian Heroes, we will remember them because Hungary would not be the same without them.

May 25 at 10:00 a.m., "The silver thread from my hand" (Literature walk)

On the walk, we will pay our respects at the graves of Hungarian writers and poets who weren't included in the previous literature walks. We will learn more about the lives of Béla Balázs, Anna Lesznai, Mari Jászai, Lenke Bajza, Sophie Török, Zseni Várnai, Dezső Tandori, Imre Sarkadi and Iván Mándy.

May 29, 17:00 p.m., Bicycle tour

On hidden paths – Bicycle tour in the Fiumei Road Cemetery.

One of the most distinctive green spaces in Budapest, the Fiumei Road Cemetery, is home to a wealth of special monuments, many of which are tucked away in the wooded areas at the back of the cemetery. The bike tour will explore these lesser-known corners of the cemetery, uncovering fascinating tales along the way. As we will ride through the tree-lined avenues, we will encounter artistic tombs, learn about our guardian angels, and discover the stories behind family mausoleums and slender female figures.

The tour will start at the main entrance of the Fiumei Road Cemetery.
Note: The organizer cannot provide bicycles for the programme. Please bring your own bicycle.

Additional information

The tours are organised in Hungarian language. If you would like to have a guided tour in English, please contact idegenvezetes@nori.gov.hu.

Planting a peace tree in Budapest

On 26 May 2023, a tree was planted at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest as part of the ASCE Peace Tree Project.

The Peace Tree Project

The ASCE Peace Tree Project aims to encourage ASCE members to plant a tree at their cemeteries as a symbolic reminder of the importance of peace, not only after death but also during life. In doing so, the central message of the project is spread: “Live in peace to rest in peace!”.

The planting of the first tree and thereby the official start of the project took place at Pobrežje Cemetery in Maribor, Slovenia, on 25 May 2023.

The second peace tree was planted a day after that, on 26 May 2023, in the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest, Hungary.

You can find more details about the project HERE.

WDEC 2023 at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

Don't miss out on the wide variety of events that will take place in Budapest, Hungary, during this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

27 May 2023 (Saturday)

➤ 10 am: Minibus tour

On the occasion of the Day of the Memorial Places, held in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, there will be free guided minibus tours offered with a duration of 45 minutes. Using the minibus allows us to present the entire area of the cemetery. The tour’s specialty is that visitors can also be presented to famous people, graves, and exciting places that cannot be reached on an average thematic walk due to long distances.

➤ 10 am: Sporty walk

Hungarians, go for it! Athletes and sports leaders in the Fiumei Road Cemetery. During our walk we will visit the graves of well-known and lesser-known figures of Hungarian sports history. We will get to know their humorous, dramatic or even tragic stories, and remember their successes that brought glory to them and their country.

➤ 11 am: Minibus tour

On the occasion of the Day of the Memorial Places, held in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, there will be free guided minibus tours offered with a duration of 45 minutes. Using the minibus allows us to present the entire area of the cemetery. The tour’s specialty is that visitors can also be presented to famous people, graves, and exciting places that cannot be reached on an average thematic walk due to long distances.

➤ 1 pm: Bicycle tour

On hidden roads. Bicycle tour in the Fiumei Road Cemetery. One of the most unique green areas of Budapest, the Fiumei Road Cemetery, hides countless special monuments, many of them located in remote, almost wooded areas of the cemetery. During our bike tour we visit these lesser-known parts of the cemetery, which preserve more interesting stories. On the roads, densely overgrown with trees, we will ride between artistic graves, and unravel the secrets of guardian angels, family mausoleums and slender female figures.

➤ 9 pm: Turek – Radnóti’s poetry theatre evening

The audience of Miklós Turek's poetry theatre performance will witness the last moments of the life of a Hungarian poet who tragically died at a young age. 

28 May 2023 (Sunday)

➤ 11 am: Concert for children (Kolompos)

Kolompos is an authentic Hungarian folk music group, playing mainly for children. They introduce folk music, dance and customs, poetry and tales to little ones in an interactive and entertaining way. On Children's Day, a one-hour concert will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery on a meadow among flowers.

➤ 1 pm: Family walk

The mysterious world of the Fiumei Road Cemetery is not only interesting for adults, its stories can also be explored through children's eyes. We will decipher the decorations of old graves and the meanings of special sculptures, while also getting to know the varied flora. The walk is recommended for children aged 7-12.

➤ All afternoon Discovery game

Search - seek - collect - explore the tomb garden. Explore the graveyard with the help of a puzzle sheet. The game can be played individually or in a team.

1 June 2023 (Thursday)

➤ 10 am: Maternity/Baby-mommy and/or daddy walk

We will invite parents with small babies to our unusual themed walk, in a more informal way. By informal, we mean that the rhythm of the walk and the stops are adapted to the needs of the participants, that is, it is possible to stop at any time during the walk, to feed a baby at the resting places, and the crying of a child is not considered a disturbing factor among those applying for the walk. We hope that not only the beautiful environment, but also the cultural and historical experiences during the walk will be a source of refreshment for new moms and dads.

3 June 2023 (Saturday)

➤ 10 am: Minibus tour

On the occasion of the Day of the Memorial Places, held in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, there will be free guided minibus tours offered with a duration of 45 minutes. Using the minibus allows us to present the entire area of the cemetery. The tour’s specialty is that visitors can also be presented to famous people, graves, and exciting places that cannot be reached on an average thematic walk due to long distances.

➤ 11 am: Minibus tour

On the occasion of the Day of the Memorial Places, held in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, there will be free guided minibus tours offered with a duration of 45 minutes. Using the minibus allows us to present the entire area of the cemetery. The tour’s specialty is that visitors can also be presented to famous people, graves, and exciting places that cannot be reached on an average thematic walk due to long distances.

4 June 2023 (Sunday)

➤ 11 am: Pest-Kolozsvár walk

"Beautiful city of Cluj Napoca". During our walk, we will reminisce about the capital of Transylvania, visiting the graves of people whose lives were marked by Cluj-Napoca: either because they were born as a native of this treasured city, or because their time in the city was a turning point in their career or at a certain stage of their lives. We can find out what Ferenc Erkel and Zsigmond Móricz owed to the famous city, as well as whose works have markedly defined Cluj-Napoca's built and intellectual heritage, as with János Fadrusz’s emblematic statue of Matthias, or the first permanent Hungarian-language theatre, with artists such as Mari Jászai and Márton Lendvay.

➤ 1 pm: "Beyond the borders" walk

They were born in the annexed areas and their graves are located in the Fiumei Road Cemetery. During our walk, we will talk about the writers, poets, artists, statesmen and soldiers born outside the borders of today’s Hungary, and whose life's work is an integral part of Hungarian culture and history.

 

Photos of the WDEC 2022 in Budapest

Events from the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries 2022 in Budapest, summarized in a short photo review.

This year, the National Heritage Institute (NHI) joined the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC) with various colorful events, that took place from May 27 to June 1, 2022, at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest (Hungary).

For those of you who could not attend the events, or just want to relive the memories, we collected some highlights of the events in the photos below.

Opening of the Sculpture Park at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

Poetry theater with Miklós Turek at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

"In the footsteps of heroes" – Family Day at the Fiumei Road Cemetery

Crossroads of diversity: photo exhibition

WDEC 2022 in Budapest

Don't miss numerous colorful events that will take place at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest (Hungary) during this year's Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

Last year the National Heritage Institute (NHI) joined the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) and the European Cemeteries Route with two Hungarian cemeteries, the Fiume Road Cemetery National Memorial and the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery.

This year, NHI is joining the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC) with various colorful events at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest.

May 27 (10 a.m.): Opening of the Sculpture Park in the Fiumei Road Cemetery - press conference

The Fiumei Road Cemetery has a rich collection of tombs with hundreds of artistic sculptures on them which perfectly represent nearly 200 years of the history of Hungarian sculpture. The Fiumei Road Cemetery can also be interpreted as a sculpture park or an open-air museum where not only the spiritual legacy of the deceased is worth remembering but the art of tombstones is also of unparalleled value.

The National Heritage Institute would like to invite visitors to these magnificent sculptures by presenting the Sculpture Park project. The presentation of the sculptural works includes the history of the tomb sculptures and a short biography of the sculptor. The contents can be accessed by reading the QR codes placed on top of each plot stone. At present, 50 works have been described, however, research and publication of knowledge related to these works of art will be ongoing. Visitors of the cemetery can search the QR codes on the cemetery plot stones from the beginning of summer. The National Heritage Institute will present this new project to a wider audience at a press conference as part of WDEC.

May 28 (3.30 p.m.): Secrets of an oasis in the heart of the city – The Fiume Road Cemetery (guided tour in English)

The National Heritage Institute is expanding its thematic programs with a free 1,5 to 2 hour-long English-language guided tour so that English-speaking visitors could learn the secrets of the green oasis in the heart of Budapest. This is an immersive tour of the oldest still functioning cemetery in the city of Budapest. Images of art, wounds of war, secrets and symbols mixed with the private lives and loves of the greatest Hungarians, will all be revealed! We are looking forward to you joining our tour.

May 28 (6.30. p.m.): Guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature (in Hungarian)

As part of our tour in addition to János Arany and Mihály Vörösmarty, you can get an insight into the lives of Antal Szerb, Béla Balázs, Anna Lesznai, Mari Jászai and Lenke Bajza.

However, the focus will be on János Arany who was a great Hungarian poet in the 19th century and is known to all Hungarian schoolchildren. He spent his entire life in the "bondage" of her civic occupation. János Arany believed that a poet should make a living with the help of their day job so that he could be independent. He ruled his heart with his mind, and even so, he created an exceptionally rich oeuvre.

This will be an excellent introduction to a poetry theater performance of the works of János Arany.

May 28 (8 p.m.): Poetry theater with Miklós Turek in the Fiumei Road Cemetery

The National Heritage Institute is introducing a new program. At the end of the guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature, as first of a three-part series, you can hear the poems of János Arany performed by Miklós Turek. The performance entitled My Soul, my Gold! (arany means gold) will be a version of the monodrama of the actor Miklós Turek adapted to a special place, the tombstone of János Arany.

The Fiumei Road Cemetery is a suitable location for Poetry Theater not only because of the poets who rest here, but also because a main goal of the National Heritage Institute is to reach young people, so Miklós Turek's performances fits our Historical and Cultural Memory Education Program, launched last year, perfectly.

May 29 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): In the footsteps of heroes – Family Day in the Fiumei Road Cemetery

The Fiume Road Graveyard National Memorial is the final resting place of many heroes of modern Hungary. People, whose actions and decisions had an impact on Hungary’s fate. On the Day of Remembrance of Hungarian Heroes, we remember them because our country would not be the same without them.

Programs of the Budakeszi Traditional Military Association include artillery demonstration with a copy of Áron Gábor's cannon (every half hour), infantry weapons demonstration (front-loading rifle handling, individual and assault fires), bayonet demonstration, 1848 military recruiter with children - formal training (turns, marching, handling rifles) and an illustration of camp life in contemporary tents.

The cunning Szekler’s tale (a puppet show) and crafts activities such as making a wooden spoon puppet or creating your own heroic merit order will help the next generation remember our heroes.

June 1 (11 a. m.): Opening of the exhibition entitled "A place where… European graveyards in the Fiumei Road Cemetery"

The National Heritage Institute is hosting an outdoor photo exhibition. We believe that historic cemeteries are special places. They are imprints of history and artistic heritage of countries. With our exhibition we want to conjure the atmosphere of European historic cemeteries. Similar to the Fiumei Road Cemetery and Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery there are special graveyards all over Europe that tell the story of culture of the given country. Photo posters take you to many cities in various countries and entice you to explore these amazing locations in person.

The exhibition showcases the best of a photo book that flashes the mood of 37 cemeteries in 15 countries on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of ASCE. Each of the presented graveyard is unique and diverse, but similar at the same time: they carry the imprints of chapters of our common European history and are waiting to be discovered.

Fiumei Road Cemetery (Budapest, Hungary)

The Fiumei Road Cemetery contains one of Hungary’s largest collections of statues and a fascinating arboretum-like landscaped area that has avenues harbouring 10 species of trees and 110 different birds.

About the cemetery

The Fiumei Road Cemetery was opened on the 1st of April, 1849 as a new public cemetery and by the turn of the century it became a national pantheon. Since the cemetery functioned as a public cemetery for a long time, the composition of those who rest here is extremely mixed, both nationally and religiously.

The cemetery lies next to the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery and is separated from it only by a stone wall. The two of them represent the most prestigious cemeteries in Hungary where important personalities of the public, political and economic life, scientists, artists and athletes are buried. People who defined the history of Hungary in the 19th and 20th century. Both cemeteries are also very unique for their architectural elements and tomb sculptures. The 56-hectare green area of the Fiumei Road Cemetery in the centre of Budapest also serves as a recreational place for those living in the area.

Cemetery highlights

Wall tombs (after 1849)

The wall tombs were established after the opening of the cemetery, as most prestigious burial places for the citizens of the capital city. Its significance lies in the fact that this is a part of the cemetery that has been an unchanged, unified, cohesive part of the Fiumei Road Cemetery since its opening in 1849.

Arcade buildings (earley 20th century)

Once these spots for representative tombs were sold out, a complex of arcade buildings was established in the early 20th century with the aim of serving as the most representative burial site of the cemetery. The row of arcades, built in Art Nouveau style on the basis of the Italian example, consists of the richest tombstones of the capital, designed by the most famous sculptors of the period. The domes are decorated with mosaics covered in 23.5 carat gold leaf.

Apponyi mourning carriage (between 1928 and 1932)

At the entrance of the cemetery the "Apponyi mourning carriage" is presented. The nearly four-meter-high, five-and-a-half-meter-long carriage is considered to be one of the largest mourning carriages in the world. It was manufactured in Budapest between 1928 and 1932 and was used only four times for highly prestigious, protocol burials of famous statesman.

Important graves and monuments

Batthyány Mausoleum (1872-1874)

The mausoleum was designed by Albert Schikedanz and it is a highly prestigious building in its simple, terraced design. The decorative elements of the building are stone lions on both sides of the staircase, as well as reliefs on the walls: a portrait of Lajos Batthyány, the family coat of arms, and the Hungarian national coat of arms. A staircase leads down inside of the mausoleum. The special feature of the building is that it is only large mausoleum in the cemetery where free-standing coffins can be seen.

Deák Mausoleum (1887)

The mausoleum was designed by Kálmán Gerster. The dome of the 26-meter-high Neo-Renaissance mausoleum is covered with ornamental tiles from the famous Zsolnay porcelain factory. There is a 6 meter high bronze angel statue on the dome. The symbolic sarcophagus of Ferenc Deák can be seen inside the building. (This is the second sarcophagus as the original was destroyed during World War II.) The interior walls of the mausoleum are decorated with frescoes (covered with glass mosaics) of the allegorical figures of the four main virtues. 

Kossuth Mausoleum (1902-1909)

The designers of this mausoleum were Kálmán Gerster and Alajos Stróbl. It is the largest funeral building in Hungary. The structure of the upper level evokes the Parthenon in Athens. At the top of the tomb a group of statues represent the revolution and the war of independence. Above the entrance, the female figure of Hungária, the symbol of the nation griefs the deceased on her throne. Two stone panthers on both sides of the staircase guard the entrance. The centrepiece of the mausoleum in form of a Greek Cross is a elaborately decorated sarcophagus made of green onyx. The interior walls are covered with mosaics of Murano glass gilded with 23.5 carat gold. The family members of Lajos Kossuth rest in the side of the mausoleum.

The tomb of József Antall (1999)

The grave memorial around the actual tomb was designed by Miklós Melocco. József Antall was the first democratically elected prime minister of the Hungarian Government after the regime change of 1989. The artwork depicts shrouded horseman figures pulling in four different directions, displaying both ancient Hungarian and Christian motifs at the same time. 

The grave of Imre Kertész (2019)

Designers are Rita Czakó and Máté Takács. In 2002, writer Imre Kertész won the Nobel Prize for Literature for “Fatelessness”, his autobiographically inspired novel about Holocaust. The tombstone is a bronze column with an open door. The door leads to immortality, eternity, infinity. On the back of the tomb you can read a quote from Imre Kertész's note "love redeems". 

Address

Fiumei Road Cemetery
16-18 Fiumei Street,
Budapest, 1086
Hungary

Contacts

Janos Prutkay
E-mail: janos.prutkay@nori.gov.hu
Phone: +36 70 382 90 57

Tourist information

The cemetery is opened every day of the year and offers free of charge guided tours for visitors.

It is located just a few minutes’ walk from the Keleti railway station where metro lines 2 and 4 stop.

More info on the website https://fiumeiutisirkert.nori.gov.hu