Debrecen4U October 20, 2026

Revolutionaries, Tanks and Street Combat in Budapest: Exhibition on 1956 Opens at Déri Museum

Titled Reporting on a Revolution, the Déri Museum’s new exhibition pays tribute to the heroes and martyrs of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence by showcasing photographs taken on the streets of Budapest 70 years ago by Italian photojournalist Mario De Biasi. The exhibition will be open until the end of January, with specialist talks and museum education sessions also planned at the museum.

A commemorative exhibition of historical photographs marking the events of 1956 opened at the Déri Museum in Debrecen on 19 October. Mario De Biasi, a photojournalist for the Italian magazine Epoca, arrived in Hungary on 29 October 1956 and took more than 100 photographs capturing moments from the revolution and the courage shown by ordinary people.

Réka Sárközy, the exhibition’s curator and head of the Historical Photography and Interview Collection at the National Széchényi Library, said at Monday’s opening that the museum had received around 70 photographs and selected the most striking and beautiful images for display. “These photographs are very important because, thanks to these correspondents, many previously unknown revolutionaries now have a story, a portrait, a face,” she said.

The Déri Museum’s exhibition tells the stories of several revolutionaries photographed by De Biasi, one of whom was later identified and convicted on the basis of a photograph. While Reporting on a Revolution is compelling in its own right, museum staff also want to help visitors connect with events from 70 years ago in ways that go beyond the photographs. “Events and accompanying programmes will run until the end of January, for as long as the exhibition remains at the Déri Museum. There will be guided tours, specialist talks and museum education sessions. As we usually do, we are trying to make the exhibition accessible and engaging for the wider community,” said János Angi, Director of the Déri Museum.

One of the exhibition’s main target audiences is secondary school pupils as it aims to show them the sacrifices made for freedom by people of their own age 70 years ago. At the exhibition opening, Deputy Mayor István Puskás said that one of the key aims of the city’s commemorative programme was to ensure that young people today learn about the events of 1956 through more than just history textbooks. “For the 70th anniversary, we have given particular thought to ensuring that, alongside the various commemorative events, especially the official ceremony on 23 October, we also make the experience of that period more tangible and bring the message of 1956 to life as much as possible,” he said.

To mark the anniversary, this week’s programme also includes competitions, documentary exhibitions and a dance night. Visitors to the events will also have the opportunity to see a reprinted edition of the special issue of Debrecen’s Néplap newspaper published on 23 October 1956.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu