On 20 September, the Ferenc Current Transformer, built in 1908 and considered a unique industrial monument, will reopen its doors. Visitors can get to know the technical history monument that is still in operation today on guided tours. Joining the international programme series Cultural Heritage Days, BKV museums can also be visited free of charge this weekend.

BKV welcomes participants of the Cultural Heritage Days programme series at three locations this weekend. The Urban Public Transport Museum, established in the 111-year-old HÉV depot in Szentendre, and the Millennium Underground Museum, set up in the former Deák tér tunnel section of the Budapest underground railway, can be visited free of charge with extended opening hours until 18:00 o'clock on 20 and 21 September. For years, the guided tours of the Ferenc Current Transformer have been among the most popular programmes of the Cultural Heritage Days. The almost 120-year-old industrial historical rarity can be viewed on Saturday.

In the unique industrial monument, the Ferenc Current Transformer, which was opened in 1908, visitors can see the more than 100-year-old, 1000 kW motor dynamo and the rotary machine rectifier, the converter, in operation. The current transformer is not only a technical historical monument, but also helps supplying electricity to tram traffic to this day. The Ferenc Current Transformer (1097 Budapest, Könyves Kálmán körút 7.) can be visited on 20 September between 9:00 and 14:00. The facility's staff will present the operation of the technical historical speciality on guided tours beginning at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00. There is no need to register in advance, and the event is free.

The Millennium Underground Museum (1054 Budapest, Deák Ferenc tér metro underpass), which turns 50 this October, commemorates the continent's first underground railway. Many relics serve as an addition to the three carriages of the underground railway: original documents, blueprints, maps, photos, and models help you learn about the underground, which is considered a world technical milestone, and the history of the Budapest metro. You can also visit the museum's temporary exhibition, which examines the cultural history of public transport in the capital city from a special perspective since the birth of Greater Budapest. The exhibition titled How we travel(led) - Public transport in the capital city through the eyes of children presents how children have experienced and used public transport in the capital over the past 75 years. The exhibition was seen by almost 10,000 people during the summer holidays, including dozens of school groups.

The Urban Public Transport Museum (Szentendre, Dózsa György út 3.) has exhibited almost sixty old vehicles. Most of them are trams from the last century, but there are also buses, trolleybuses, and old HÉV vehicles. One of the pieces in the collection with the longest history is the wooden-framed tram car 418 of the Budapest Public Railway Company (BKVT). The vehicle fleet of the Szentendre exhibition is expanding every year, this year, it was enriched by the former railcar, a Type 2 WV microbus, and last year, by the former Margaret Island Sightseeing Tour vehicle, the so-called Swayer. The museum's visual and information material presenting the BKV era was also recently renewed, for the museum's 30th birthday.

Cultural Heritage Days constitute a programme series present in 50 European countries. As part of this, cultural institutions can be visited for free on the third weekend of September, and built heritage and monuments that are not open to the public during the rest of the year will be opened. BKV has been a participant in the event for years. Preserving and presenting the past of the capital city's public transport is of paramount importance to the company, so that present and future generations can learn about how Budapest's world-class transport system was developed.

19.09.2025

BKV Zrt.