When the communist regimes of Eastern Europe collapsed between 1989 and 1990, broad symbols of dictatorship were removed from the streets everywhere in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Throughout the Communist bloc, statues were melted down or sold as scrap metal, but not in Hungary. The city fathers considered possible options as to what to do with the statues, and finally accepted the proposal of Előd Ákos who created the first communist statue park in Europe in Budapest, Hungary's most exciting open-air museum. The statues are placed in thematic order, you can attend a guided tour or buy a museum brochure to learn about the history and former location of the statues and there is a small shop where you can buy small antiques from the communist era (medals, military uniforms, etc.).