Museum of Electrical Engineering, Budapest

In the evolution of mankind, in the formation and development of our culture and civilization light played an essential role. It was the symbol of life, comprehension and wisdom from the very beginning. The collection of Electrical Engineering commemorates the history of light and lighting, and their power to form our society and culture. The museum can be found in a Bauhaus-style building in Kazinczy Street. 

The building, which was originally a transformer station and now is a national monument, is paved with art deco stone floor and is decorated with Zsolnay tiles. Visitors are guided through the development of electrical engineering in eight permanent exhibitions in four rooms, with a special focus on the history of the Hungarian electrical industry. The exhibitions of the museum highlight Hungary’s essential role in railway electrification, lighting technology and transformer production. Visitors can get a taste of special, even more than a hundred-year-old devices of electrical engineering, which can still be operated. The influence machine can be tried, electricity can be generated by manually powered dynamos, and lightning can be generated by the authentic copy of Ányos Jedlik’s condenser battery, the so called lightning stretcher. 

In the unique exhibition entitled Neonparade, found in the stylish interior courtyard of the museum, light advertisements are presented, which count as artworks and serve as memories of the history of past ages. Iconic pieces, such as the white swan of Patyolat, which advertises cleanness; the basket of Csemege; the winking owl of the second-hand bookshop; the label of Mignon of the sweet-shop in Károly Street ensure the special atmosphere of events in the evening. 

The museum can be found in Kazinczy utca, which is gradually turning into a pedestrian street, in the neighborhood of the synagogue. It is only in a 200 m distance from Rákóczi utca and Uránia. It is easily accessible by trolley No 74.