Check out the “Hungarian Chernobyl”!

Near Veszprém on an isolated private property stands Szentkirályszabadja, or as the locals call it, the ghost town. Better known as the “Hungarian Chernobyl”, the city has been empty for the last three decades.

Despite the name, there’s no radiation here, the name mostly reflects the abandonment of the place. Szentkirályszabadja used to be a massive Soviet barrack, built for Russian and Ukrainian soldiers back in the 1960s. There were all kinds of luxuries for the soldiers and their families who were stationed here. The busy military complex was home to around seven thousand souls.

Next to the five-storey panel houses, there was a theater, cinema, store, pub, post office, kindergarten, and school—a complete small town, all built in the typical Soviet style, catering to the needs of the soldiers.

Naturally, little to no people were allowed to pass through the doors of the complex. Obviously, the locals and the soldiers started trading their goods like alcohol, tobacco and even colored TV, which was considered a huge luxury back in the day. That may have been a contributing factor in the lavish living conditions of the barracks of Szentkirályszabadja.

In contrast to Chernobyl, there was no hurry here in the evacuation. There was no radioactive blast, only the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The demobilisation and withdrawal of Soviet soldiers took place gradually and leisurely. That’s why none of the buildings have children’s toys or kitchen equipment. People took what they needed and left.

By 1990, the barracks were almost completely emptied, guarded by the Hungarian state until 1996. After that, it was up for grabs, and grab they did. Not much is left of the furnishings of the flats. Everything made of wood or iron is gone. Mostly, it’s just graffiti on the walls and houses being reclaimed by nature. That’s why ever since 1996, the barracks have been standing abandoned, gradually falling into decay. Nowadays, they are mostly used as airsoft or paintball competitions.
Nevertheless, the empty homes create an eerie picture, no matter in what kind of weather or time of day you’re checking them out.

• Check out this article, that talks about even more abandoned places HERE!
• See where other ghost towns are in Hungary HERE!