Halloween is coming: Ghost towns in Hungary – VIDEOS

Even though Halloween is not officially celebrated in Hungary, many people, young and old, love some spooky decoration, jack-o’-lanterns and horror movies. Let’s not forget about the many delicious Halloween-themed cupcakes, pancakes and pastries either! In this article, we’re introducing you to some Hungarian ghost towns that are guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.

Do you like disaster tourism? If so, these abandoned Hungarian settlements are for you. Have you ever been to any of these unusual destinations? Let us know in the comments!

Szentkirályszabadja

Since 1996, the now completely demolished Soviet barracks in Szentkirályszabadja have stood unguarded, noizz.hu writes. The site once offered “luxurious” conditions for thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers. Today, little of this remains in an area often compared to Pripyat. What is still standing is covered in overgrown vegetation.

After the change of regime, in 1990, the slow depopulation of the site began. However, the demobilisation of Soviet soldiers had already started two years earlier, in 1988. Then the military equipment was slowly withdrawn.

Derenk

Derenk is a ghost village near Aggtelek on the Slovak border. This medieval village has become a ghost village for the second time in its history. The first time was in the 18th century, when it was deserted by a plague epidemic. Later, however, serfs of Polish origin settled here and brought the village back to life.

Derenk had 367 inhabitants in 1907 and 443 in 1941. By 1943, the last inhabitant had died and the village was completely depopulated. Afterwards, its church and buildings were demolished. Today, only the ruined school building, the chapel built on the site of the church and the nearby cemetery are the remains of a settlement that once stood on this site. Since 1994, once a year, in mid-July, on the village’s patron saint’s day (“búcsú” in Hungarian), the people who are from the village gather for a commemoration.

Little Moscow

Kis-Moszkva (or Nagyvázsony barracks) is one of the largest ghost towns in Hungary, in Veszprém county. The Soviet military base was completed by 1968, with Hungarian workers under Soviet control, using Hungarian state money, according to some information. Soviet soldiers and their families lived here.

It was one of the most heavily guarded Soviet barracks before the regime change. About 300-400 people must have lived here before the 1989-90 regime change. The Russians called the place Little Town.

According to information confirmed by the former Chief of Staff of the Hungarian Defence Forces, nuclear warheads were also stored at the base. It was completely deserted on 28 March 1990, during the exodus after the regime change. It is now a no-go area.

Would you like to see a second part, featuring more Hungarian ghost towns? Do let us know in the comments!

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