The Endre Ady Memorial Museum, set in the downtown Budapest apartment where the great Hungarian poet spent his last days, has just reopened after renovation. Revamped exhibition and public spaces now feature attractive installations, while Hungarian speakers can look forward to a regular series of interactive events.
Signified by a huge portrait of the poet, with his doom-laden eyes and
turned-up coat collar, the Ady Memorial Museum has long been a curious
attraction for cultured Hungarians.
It was here that the writer, considered
Hungary’s greatest poet of the 20th century, spent his last days, wracked
with syphilis and anxious about the outcome of World War I.
He had moved into this modest apartment after his young wife, Berta Boncza, Csinszka in Ady’s poems, had inherited it from her father. While quite small, it was nonetheless convenient, located on Véres Pálné utca in the city centre. Here Ady died on 27 January 1919, not long after the couple had moved in.
Since converted into a memorial museum, the flat was a cosy if somewhat confusing attraction. Its recent renovation should allow a new generation of literary aficionados to explore the life and times of this influential figure. A series of Hungarian-language talks is also planned about the relationship between Ady and Csinszka.
Venue information
Ady Memorial Museum
1053 Budapest, Véres Pálné utca 4-6
Open: Tue-Sat 10am-5pm
Admission: HUF 500/HUF 250 discounted
