Semmelweis Museum of Medical History (Orvostorteneti Muzeum)
Semmelweis Museum of Medical History (Orvostorteneti Muzeum)
Semmelweis Museum of Medical History (Orvostorteneti Muzeum)
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The area
Neighbourhood: District I / Buda
The historical center to a city with a multifarious and intricate past, Buda has some of the most outstanding buildings in Europe and an enviable natural landscape with stunning views onto the Danube. Centered around the Royal Palace, it provides a glimpse into the golden years of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the lives led by the aristocracy at the time. Matthias Church, beside the palace, hosted many events attended by the royal family and was the chosen place for the coronation of Franz Josef, one of the Hungarian Habsburg kings. Having admired the palace and the church, a visit to Buda will be unforgettable by the stunning and memorable panorama over Pest offered by the seven towered Fishermen’s Bastion.
How to get there
- Vörösmarty tér • 8 min walk
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4.0
93 reviews
Excellent
27
Very good
42
Average
19
Poor
3
Terrible
2
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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RDmr89
Cagliari, Italy48 contributions
Oct 2024 • Couples
It is the first time I visit such a museum but knowing there were primordial relics and rudimentary tools before modern medicine was born, convinced me to go. And I say "wow"! I was totally enchanted. There were a lot of tools, amulets and curious objects. Many original manuals on botany and medicine from the 16th-17th centuries. I am passionate about ancient essays and manuals and was thrilled. The museum is not that small. If you are curious like me, you will be passionate!
Automatically translated
Written 23 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D. Houthoofd
Ostend, Belgium39 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Dubious feeling about this place - interesting stuff but slightly disappointed. Didn’t have much time to see it properly as we only had 28 minutes. Even though we arrived 1 hour before closing time and were let in without any problem, 20 min later we were urged to end the visit as they were going to close.. We were indeed the only visitors then but still.. It took us 1 hour to get there by public transportation. Pity.
Written 2 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex M
London, UK27 contributions
June 2019 • Couples
Basically, quite a lot of us literally owe our lives to the man behind this museum. His is an amazing story, of scientific discovery and of rejection of his truth by establishment. For it to be celebrated in one of the most terribly curated museums is a real shame. This is a tale that should be told to our youth in a way that excites them to become doctors and scientists, not recounted by some random pieces of furniture from his house and a large number of obstetric forceps: no narrative, no filtering, tiny fonts used in the signs. Thank goodness my kids weren’t with me! Let’s hope the Hungarian State wakes up to this national hero and invests some money here.
Written 29 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HeadsupAlberta
Calgary, Canada16 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
I am a retired physician and on seeing the name of the museum, and knowing the history, was interested in going through the museum. However, on asking the person behind the counter if he spoke english, he went off on a rant, saying that this is Hungary and that here we only speak Hungerian and that he was not willing to help us if we did not speak Hungerian. Needless to say, I turned around and left. I would have preferred to give no rating because I never saw the inside of the museum. The administrators need to review their staff's attitudes.
Written 2 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefan A
24 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
This is a small exhibition which takes you approximately 45 minutes to go through. It cost 1000 HUF per person ( or less if you are a student)
Most of the exponates are explained in Hungarian and English, some are explained in German.
I would recommend this to anyone who works in a medical job, for someone else it might be difficult to understand for what those things are used to - there's not many information available about the exponates- so it's good if someone in your group can explain to the others for what those things are used.
The voluntary staff is friendly but speaks little English, which is no problem here
Most of the exponates are explained in Hungarian and English, some are explained in German.
I would recommend this to anyone who works in a medical job, for someone else it might be difficult to understand for what those things are used to - there's not many information available about the exponates- so it's good if someone in your group can explain to the others for what those things are used.
The voluntary staff is friendly but speaks little English, which is no problem here
Written 29 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peggy L
Boston, MA133 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
The signage is not great so it may at first be a bit hard to find, but well worth the visit for those who work in health care or are just medical history buffs. This was the birth home of Semmelweis, the first physician to discover that handwashing saves lives. He is buried in the tranquil garden downstairs, but the museum is filled with medical instruments from the earliest days of medicine. Looking at the surgical tools (such as the early tools for making burr holes), you cannot but help to marvel at how far modern medicine has come (and how did people survive back in the day?). A definite highlight in Budapest.
Written 8 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Herbert B
Perchtoldsdorf, Austria1,020 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
A walk through medical history descrbing the work of Iganc Semmelweis, the doctor who told his colleagues "to wash their hands" to avoid infections.
Written 20 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fux_Deluxe
Kranj, Slovenia42 contributions
Nov 2016
Decided to stop by to check out the museum of the guy who thought it was a good idea for doctors to start washing their hands after touching dead bodies. Despite the fact that only a small part of the museum is dedicated to dr. Semmelweis (a replica of his study and half a room of various items of correspondence), the museum covers a wide range of medical artifacts from early tribal periods, such as trephanes and shrunken heads up to nearly modern surgical instruments and primitive x-ray machines. Even though the museum's namesake was primarily an obstetrician, the collection covers various areas of medicine, surgery, microbiology and dentistry.
There is some room for improvement (some pictures and prints are severely faded and others are hardly legible due to the damage) and the overall theme is a bit wider than the name suggests, but all in all it is a great way to spend a couple of hours for those who are interested in such things. And it is quite cheap, too!
There is some room for improvement (some pictures and prints are severely faded and others are hardly legible due to the damage) and the overall theme is a bit wider than the name suggests, but all in all it is a great way to spend a couple of hours for those who are interested in such things. And it is quite cheap, too!
Written 2 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael3112
United Kingdom129 contributions
Apr 2016 • Solo
This is a medical instruments museum dedicated to the local doctor who discovered the cause of the transmission of puerperal fever – the leading cause of death of mothers after childbirth – and how to prevent it.
Individual exhibits are labelled in English.
However, there is no explanation in English of what is going on in the history of medicine, or of Semmelweiss’ own story (for which see Wikipedia). So l had no context for what l was seeing.
I would therefore recommend the museum only to those who already know the history of medicine and who can therefore understand the significance of the items they are seeing; or to those who do not mind not knowing the context.
Individual exhibits are labelled in English.
However, there is no explanation in English of what is going on in the history of medicine, or of Semmelweiss’ own story (for which see Wikipedia). So l had no context for what l was seeing.
I would therefore recommend the museum only to those who already know the history of medicine and who can therefore understand the significance of the items they are seeing; or to those who do not mind not knowing the context.
Written 17 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynsey S
West Timperley, UK103 contributions
June 2019 • Friends
This is an interesting historical medical museum on the Buda side of the Danube with a huge collection of artefacts.
The only downside most of the in depth explanations are only in Hungarian
The only downside most of the in depth explanations are only in Hungarian
Written 31 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am a writer and have been asked to review your museum. I am wondering if you have sef guided touring or guides. Is someone who speaks English or a brocure in english. What abour taking photos??
Myplans are to be in Budapest mid April
Written 25 March 2018
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