Explore #3 of the ‘Lightweights & Heavyweights’ Tour

After our bucket list explore of Kelenföld Power Station we enjoyed a well-deserved McDonald’s breakfast, and then headed out of Budapest. Our next target was another huge derelict power station, but upon arrival there we found that demolition had started and the place was crawling with workers. So we decided to move on to another site we had pinned on our map – an abandoned military barracks…

History (abridged and rewritten from here)

First established by Franz Joseph I at the end of the 19th century, this grand building was built as a barracks for artillery units who had been assigned to what would become Hungary’s largest artillery range.


circa 1911

During World War I, the self-sustaining camp grew so large that it held a POW prison and even had its own currency.


circa 1911

The base was occupied by the Nazis during World War II, followed by the Soviet Red Army after liberation. The Russians remained the residents of the castle-like barracks until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, following which the troops stripped the building of anything of value, and it has lain abandoned and decaying ever since.

Our Explore

None of us knew much about this place before our arrival, so we didn’t have particularly high expectations. But we were all pleasantly surprised with what we found – some great decay, and a very enjoyable couple of hours exploring the full loop of buildings. The best views were from the top floors, looking over the completely overgrown internal courtyard. I also got to fly my drone, and will start with those shots as it gives a good overview of the layout of the site….

Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Tower Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Tower Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Tower Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Hanging out on the ruined balcony…

Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

The once grand entrance lobby, with gate leading into the overgrown central courtyard…

Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Courtyard entrance gate stairs Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

A typically stripped and trashed corridor…

Corridor yellow white Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Venturing up into the attic, I climbed in through the whole in the wall to the right of this shot…

attic broken roof Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

…and cautiously clambered across this ruined rooftop into the next wing of the building…

Roof rooftop dangerous Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Tower Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

stairwell stairs staircase yellow white Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

stairwell stairs staircase yellow white Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

This was one of my favourite rooms, full of smashed parquet flooring…

broken parquet flooring blue room Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

broken parquet flooring blue room Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Yellow split twin corridor Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Top of stairs Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Stairs staircase yellow white Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Exterior external Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

Looking down yellow staircase stairs stairwell Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

I finished the explore in the ruins of the former chapel…

Chapel Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

These days it is a pretty sorry sight…

Chapel Hajmaskér Barracks Hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

…but this is how it looked back in 1912.

…and I’ll leave you with one final drone shot.

Hajmaskér Barracks drone aerial from above hungary Adam X Urbex Urban Exploration Access 2018 Abandoned decay ruins lost forgotten derelict location creepy haunting eerie

We then decided to head back towards Budapest and have another crack at that power station… report from there coming next! 🙂

Thanks for your visit, I hope you enjoyed.

Adam X