Prime Minister Péter Magyar personally gave members of the press a tour of the former Prime Minister’s Office building, the Carmelite Monastery, on Saturday morning. Prior to the tour, during an event broadcast live on Facebook, the politician thanked the police and the Castle District Police Station for quickly organising the weekend “guided tour.”

PM Péter Magyar offered the press a guided tour around the infamous Carmelite Monastery

Magyar personally guided journalists through several former government buildings in Budapest on Saturday, including the Carmelite Monastery that once housed former Prime Minister Orbán Viktor’s office and the former headquarters of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office.

He noted that on Friday, it was announced that interested parties could freely book a visit to the Carmelite Monastery and the former Prime Minister’s Office—which he referred to as nothing more than a “Rogán-style luxury ministry”—for this weekend, and within minutes, all 2,000 slots were filled.

The Carmelite monastery will remain open to visitors on the coming weekends as well, until a new use is found for the building or until interest wanes, said Péter Magyar.

The monastery might be opened to the public in the foreseeable future

He added that they are considering opening the “luxury ministry” on the coming weekends as well, where staff from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family will be working. He announced that during Saturday’s tour, visitors will also be able to view part of the Ministry of the Interior building.

The buildings were opened to the public for the weekend, allowing visitors to see inside some of Hungary’s most symbolic centres of political power. Péter Magyar also showed reporters the recently renovated Interior Ministry building on Szentháromság Square, from where he had earlier posted a video online.

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Particularly weird exchange on rooftop terrace

A tense moment unfolded on the rooftop terrace of the former Cabinet Office building, where Bertalan Havasi, Orbán’s former press chief, confronted Magyar. Havasi still officially holds the rank of deputy state secretary, meaning he formally works under Magyar’s authority following the recent administrative changes.

According to reports from the scene, the two exchanged sharp remarks before Magyar moved away with journalists. Havasi apparently told Magyar he could “hang him on the flag pole by his pants, just for the aesthetics.” Later, he reportedly asked security staff to escort Havasi from the building, arguing that he no longer had any official role there, as the property now belongs to the Ministry of Social and Child Affairs.

On Friday, Havasi was also present when Péter Magyar’s supporters began dismantling barriers near the Carmelite complex. Speaking to Telex, Havasi joked that he would decide for himself how to spend his legally mandated severance payment, mentioning his children’s education and replacing the many-year-old tyres on his Suzuki Vitara as possible expenses.

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Featured image: MTI/Balogh Zoltán