“Underground” doesn’t even begin to describe it. We are standing near one of the entrances to the F4 Object. It’s more commonly known as the Rákosi bunker. This is a formerly secret nuclear shelter. It lies deep under downtown Budapest.
The F4 Object is a relic of the Cold War. The threat of nuclear war was very real. Communist leaders in Hungary wanted protection. They wanted it for important party members. This bunker was the answer.
Construction started May 1, 1952. It continued until 1963. The bunker runs between Kossuth tér and Szabadság tér. It sits 45 to 50 meters below the surface. That is roughly 16 stories deep. It stretches for kilometers in an H shape. Some say it connects to the Line 2 metro. Others claim it has a tunnel to the Parliament Building. Still others say neither is true. The truth is somewhat murky.
Mátyás Rákosi ordered its construction. He was the General Secretary of the Hungarian Working People’s Party. The goal was to shelter Rákosi. It would also protect Central Committee members. They could survive a nuclear attack. The bunker could also serve as office space for Parliament. If danger passed, they would take the metro. They would travel to the Eastern railway station. There, they would board an armored train.
The bunker looks like metro stations and tunnels. This was intentional. Workers believed they were building the metro. However, miners carried out the work. Rumors say hundreds of prisoners helped.
The F4 Object could hold 2,200 people. Its area is 3,500 to 3,800 square meters. An air filtering system was installed. It could filter 4,000 cubic meters of air. This would remove radioactive dust. A 150-cubic-meter water reservoir was also built. A generator could produce 30 kW of electricity. An emergency exit was made near Hungarian Television headquarters. It also served as ventilation. Inside, the bunker is like a labyrinth. There is a council hall. Leaders could debate important tasks here. It was never used. But it was kept ready until the mid-1970s.
The F4 Object was revealed in a 1994 documentary. It was called Pincebörtön or Cellar Prison.
Today, the bunker’s condition has declined. The ventilator and generator still work. They are maintained and checked weekly. The old furniture is gone. It was removed during the Cold War détente.
The state owns the F4 Object. The Budapest Transport Company controls it. Their personnel visit weekly. They check the technical appliances.
One entrance is in Lipótváros. It is at Steindl Imre utca 12. A high concrete cylinder marks the spot. An elevator or stairs lead down. There are 283 stairs. The courtyard is accessible from Zoltán utca 13. The F4 Object was once strictly confidential. Visits required signing a secrecy statement.
One entrance was pulled down in 2009. The total number of entrances and tunnels is unknown.
The F4 Object stands as a silent reminder. It reflects the fears of a bygone era. A time when nuclear war seemed inevitable.