Winterland
Budapestians lovingly refer to the “Children’s Railway” as the most pleasant remnant of socialism in Budapest. Its history is deeply rooted in Hungary’s dark-red communist past and the Pioneer Movement (“Úttörőmozgalom”) – an organisation for children operated by communist parties all across the Soviet Bloc.
From the 1950s onwards almost every single child was part of the movement. Its main purposes were to raise all kids according to the communist ideology and bring manual labour closer to them from their early childhood onwards. And although this sounds crazy and tastes a bit like North Korea today, being an “Úttörő” came with all kinds of fun, games, being outside in nature, as well as a sense of teamwork and “belonging” to a group.
From the 1950s onwards almost every single child was part of the movement. Its main purposes were to raise all kids according to the communist ideology and bring manual labour closer to them from their early childhood onwards. And although this sounds crazy and tastes a bit like North Korea today, being an “Úttörő” came with all kinds of fun, games, being outside in nature, as well as a sense of teamwork and “belonging” to a group.
So what happened after the Transition? With the railway, not so much. They renamed it from “Pioneer’s Railway” (Úttörővasút) to “Children’s Railway” and changed the colour of the neckerchiefs from dark red to a more politically neutral blue. It’s still kids who do the same tasks at the trains, although they’re not pioneers anymore, but “normal” schoolchildren. The fun-factor stayed the same (it was and is a big thing for the kids to work at the railway) and the dark-red past of the railway recedes more and more into the distance. Although the shiny colour of the vehicle still reminds us with a wink of its original roots.
There are many ways to enjoy the Children’s Railway today. The route is a scenic and beautiful ride through the Buda hills. You can simply get on at “Széchenyi Hill” or Hűvösvölgy” (the two final stops), sit back and just enjoy the 11.2km-long train-route through nature. But it’s also perfect for a whole dayfull of hiking and panoramas. Here is our suggestion for an amazing day trip in the Buda Hills.
