Hungary’s PM Magyar Opens Orbán’s Former Luxury Office Complex To Public (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar opened elaborate luxury government buildings to the public this weekend by personally removing fences surrounding the historic Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, the former office complex of ex-prime minister Viktor Orbán.

“Let’s go and start dismantling the fence,” Magyar told supporters, journalists, and tourists while removing barriers around the complex that had become a symbol for critics of Orbán’s increasingly authoritarian rule during his 16 years in power.

“In post-communist Hungary, there is no place for barriers, especially not around public institutions that were built with the Hungarian people’s money,” Magyar declared as photographers crowded around him and surprised tourists entered previously restricted areas.

“Tourists have already started using this area. Freedom can quickly be experienced,” he added, referring to visitors gathering in the elevated Castle District overlooking Budapest.

Magyar said all “2,000 available places” for guided visits to the complex were reportedly filled within minutes after the announcement that the public could finally see buildings long inaccessible under the previous administration.

OPENING ORBÁN-ERA BUILDINGS

The new government also announced plans to allow visitors inside the former Cabinet Office of Antal Rogán, one of Orbán’s closest allies and among the most influential figures in the previous administration.

He said the opening of the complex symbolized a broader political shift after years in which critics accused the former government of isolating itself from ordinary Hungarians.

Magyar also said his administration would not use what he called the “Carmelite Palace” as the prime minister’s office and instead planned to relocate government leadership to a less prestigious ministry building near parliament.

Additionally, Magyar took aim at spending priorities under the previous government, saying hospitals lacked basic supplies while billions were spent on luxury government offices.

“While hospitals had no toilet paper and ordinary Hungarians struggled, the former government spent more than one trillion forints ($2.8 billion) on luxury government offices and ministries,” he said.

CONTRACTS UNDER SCRUTINY

The Hungarian government also moved to terminate a reported 261.7 billion forint ($730 million) agreement with the Élvonal Foundation led by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ferenc Krausz.

The foundation was established to attract and retain leading researchers and support scientific talent in Hungary, but the contract came under scrutiny amid investigations into alleged corruption involving officials linked to the Orbán era.

Magyar formally announced the cancellation and requested the return of some 22 billion forints ($61 million) already disbursed under the arrangement.

During a separate and unusually tense meeting with former Orbán-era ministers, Magyar accused the outgoing administration of approving massive last-minute contracts despite already knowing it had lost the election.

MAGYAR SLAMS LAST-MINUTE DEALS

“They should be ashamed of the condition in which they are handing over the country,” Magyar reportedly told the former ministers during discussions reviewed by Worthy News.

Magyar specifically criticized a reported 1.3 trillion forint ($3.6 billion) long-term defense and digitalization framework agreement signed shortly before the transfer of power, saying there had been “zero public consultation” and suggesting the deal benefited political allies.

“In a country in such an economic and financial situation, their priority was still to sign a 1.3 trillion forint contract with their friends, based on a European Union loan,” Magyar said. “That is completely absurd.”

He linked the criticism to broader concerns over Hungary’s public services, referring to hospitals with broken elevators, collapsing ceilings, and shortages of basic supplies, while ministries reportedly operated from lavish office complexes worth around 100 billion forints ($280 million).

Former Interior Minister Sándor Pintér defended his record during the exchange and requested a “full investigation” into both himself and the Interior Ministry.

HEALTHCARE DISPUTE ESCALATES

Pintér, who served as interior minister for much of Orbán’s rule, said he had “nothing to be ashamed of” and argued many healthcare facilities were already in severe disrepair when his ministry took control.

He said some buildings dated back to the 1940s and required extensive reconstruction and modernization.

Magyar responded that investigations should also examine why ministries operated from reportedly luxurious office buildings while hospitals faced deteriorating conditions and staff shortages.

Magyar additionally warned that Orbán himself would not receive what he described as a large financial payout after leaving office.

“Based on his declaration of assets, Viktor Orbán is devoid of anything and according to the law he introduced, would receive 38 million forints ($106,000) for plundering our country. He will not get it,” Magyar said.

PRESSURE FROM BRUSSELS

The sharp exchanges highlighted growing tensions between Hungary’s new government and senior officials from the Orbán era as the Magyar administration reviews spending commitments, state contracts, and alleged corruption cases linked to the previous administration.

The confrontation also underscored mounting political pressure on the new government to demonstrate greater transparency and accountability as Budapest seeks to improve relations with the European Union.

Brussels has made tackling corruption and respecting the rule of law among the key demands for Hungary to unlock billions of euros in frozen or delayed European Union funding.

Péter Magyar entered office last week after his center-right Tisza Party defeated former leader Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party in Hungary’s April 12 elections.

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