Hungary’s new government has reversed its decision to keep Budapest’s House of Terror museum closed during a review, following an outcry from Fidesz-aligned figures who announced a protest over the weekend, according to state news agency MT.

Social Relations and Culture Minister Zoltan Tarr said the museum would be free to enter for one week after reopening on September 22. He also announced a professional review of the permanent exhibition by researchers and independent experts. The exhibition will remain in its current form while the review is under way.

The House of Terror, located on the historic Andrassy Boulevard in central Budapest, documents the crimes of Hungary’s fascist Arrow Cross regime and the subsequent communist dictatorship. The museum has played a prominent role in the Fidesz government's presentation of Hungary’s 20th-century history and has long been associated with Mária Schmidt, a prominent conservative historian and former adviser of ex-prime minister Viktor Orban.

Many historians criticised the museum’s approach and that its presentation is not sufficiently balanced or academically rigorous and gives too little attention to the role of the Hungarian state and society in the Holocaust. Krisztian Ungvary, a long-time critic of the Orban government, also criticised the museum's institutional culture under the Fidesz-aligned director.

Tarr fired Schmidt earlier this week and announced that the museum would be temporarily closed while its exhibition, legal framework and operations underwent a review. The initial plan was to keep the museum closed until the review had been completed, but the government reversed course after a political backlash.

Schmidt said she learned of her dismissal from social media and had received no explanation for the decision. She added that she had not been informed of any concerns regarding the content or historical approach of the museum’s permanent exhibition.

The dispute has triggered a political response from prominent Fidesz-aligned figures, such as party founder and media personality Zsolt Bayer and other right-wing public figures. Bayer has called a demonstration outside the museum for September 20, and announced a larger Peace March at the site for October 23, Hungary’s national holiday commemorating the 1956 revolution.

The controversy comes as the new government, which took office following the April 2026 election, has begun reassessing institutions and policies associated with the previous Fidesz government. The House of Terror, which opened in 2002 just before Fidesz lost the election, has become a symbol of conservative, right-wing identity and an important site of historical memory for Fidesz supporters.

Fidesz-aligned figures said they would proceed with the planned protests despite the government’s decision to reopen the museum.