Julia Szendrey's statue, in the front garden of her former homen

The parts of the Historical Panopticon exhibition are the significant kings of Hungary

The House of Kályhák is a building next to the gate of the Festetics castle from the outside.

Tape recorders in the Tape Recorder Museum.

The Radio and TV Museum provides a home for many collector's items.

The exhibition ends with the modern execution method, the electric chair.

On one side of the corridor leading to the historical figures, there are dolls dressed as nuns.n

Visitors can sit in the middle of the room if they are tired.

The Torture Museum displays different methods of torture and execution from the Middle Ages to the present.

The Radio and TV Museum in Keszthely was founded in 2006.n

A corridor in the erotic panopticon, whose walls are adorned with various erotic pictures from all over the world.

The wax figures of the Erotic Panopticon depict scenes from Renaissance literature.

All photos

Museums of Memory

Most of the nostalgia museums are located in the Promenade Street and its vicinity, so they are also called downtown museums. There is a Historical Panopticon, Horrorarium and Torture Museum, Erotic Panopticon, Radio and Television Museum, Tape Recorder Museum as well as the House of Stoves.

Downtown Museums

Historical Panopticon

The Historical Panopticon, located in a cellar system and accessible from the Promenade Street, brings to life the great figures of Hungarian history. We can see more than 120 dolls made by folk artist Éva Zorkóczy, from Attila to Cardinal Mindszenty, as well as nun and priest costumes.

“In the background, the music of the István the King rock opera is heard, creating a fantastic atmosphere.”
Krisztina DeményLocal tour guide

Horrorarium and Torture Museum

Through a gateway in the vicinity of the Historical Panopticon, we enter the first Hungarian Horrorarium and Torture Museum, where we can take a look at various medieval torture techniques, such as beheading, drawing and quartering, and tongue-tearing. The wax figures here were made by students of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, among which the figures of Erzsébet Báthory and Vlad Tepes “Drakula” come to life.

“Not recommended for the faint of heart.
Half a millennium of torture from the Middle Ages to the present day, from the Far East to America, wax figures and illustrations show the tortures of the Middle Ages. The dark tortures of the Middle Ages, Germanic, French and Japanese methods can be seen, but we can also meet Drakula and the sadism of Erzsébet Báthory of Csejte. The tools made based on contemporary documents faithfully reflect the cruel practices of previous centuries. ”
József VadernaLocal tour guide

Radio and Television Museum

At the end of the Promenade Street on the “castle” side is located the Radio and Television Museum, which presents electronic devices from the 1920s through a nearly 1000-piece collection. The museum, which was housed in a baroque-style wooden granary building built in 1820, was founded in 2006 by József Nádler, a local radio and TV technician and electrician. 70% of the exhibition pieces are still functioning devices: TVs, radios, record players, tape recorders.

“The near past technical history of Hungary, mainly Orion and Videoton TVs and radios from the beginning until 1980. I recommend it to every technical and non-technical adult and student!!!”
Bertalan FarkasLocal guide

Tape Recorder Museum

The Tape Recorder Museum gives visitors an insight into the history of analogue sound recording. The museum presents an unrivalled collection, ranging from the earliest Edison phonographs to wire and reel-to-reel tape recorders and professional studio equipment. The exhibition is both an interactive display and an audio experience. Visitors can enjoy the sound of old equipment and special recordings up close. This includes the first public stereo concert recording made during the bombing of Berlin in 1944. Learn about the history of sound recording in Hungary and abroad. Guided tours are available daily (except Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from 11am to 2pm, lasting approximately 75 minutes and can be booked in advance. The museum motto: “Come and enjoy the sounds of the past!”

“Lots of recorders, high quality, friendly guided tour, for those interested in the subject, it’s a must!”
Gábor SchlagmüllerLocal guide

An interesting factMarcell Jánosi is one of the leading figures in Hungarian tape manufacturing and the inventor of the microfloppy disk. He had a significant impact on technological development, and his inventions, especially the microfloppy disk, revolutionised data storage and backup. His bust and inventions can be seen in the Tape Recorder Museum in Keszthely.

House of Stoves

Next to the Festetics Castle we find the House of Stoves, where we can take a look at the process of making traditional Hungarian stoves, as well as old ovens, cookers and heating equipment. We can also see 70 models of stoves and ovens from Hungarian regions – the collection is constantly growing. An interesting and at the same time sweet service is that we can even adopt a stove. The House of Stoves also includes a pottery workshop, where we can watch Imre Szalay, a potter, stove and oven builder, craftsman at work, and even try out tile making in a group program.

“There are three small rooms, one of them is the workshop where you can only look in, the middle one is the shop. Here you can buy beautiful products at very low prices. Whoever says it’s expensive, doesn’t know the value of these objects. The last room is a stove model exhibition, which is particularly interesting, and for the support of the master alone it is worth 200 forints.”
Balázs RipplLocal Guide

Erotic Panopticon

Next to the Vidor Game Museum on the Promenade we find the Erotic Panopticon, what is unique in Hungary , which presents a historical naughty exhibition. On the naturalistic style exhibition, through the life-size silicone sculptures of the students of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, the Renaissance erotic literature comes alive: Boccaccio, De Sade marquis, Kama Sutra figures.

“Naughtiness, mischief. Bold, open wax dolls.”
Krisztina GyimesiLocal tour guide

HintOne ticket for 7 museums! If you would like to see unique collections of games, are interested in the lifestyle of the past century, and would like to visit the special Snails Parliament, then buy a combined ticket to the Downtown Museums!