New Hungarian PM Opens Orban’s Office to the Public

A visibly tired Peter Magyar, Hungary’s new prime minister, on Saturday took dozens of journalists – among them BIRN’s Budapest correspondent – on a tour of the former Carmelite Monastery that had been refurbished during Viktor Orban's time in power and used as his private office. The reconstruction of historical buildings in Budapest's Castle District – some of them partially or totally destroyed during World War II – was part of the previous government’s ambition to recreate the “glorious era”

An air of secrecy has surrounded the building previously housing the Prime Minister's Office, as nobody outside of the Fidesz party elite were permitted to visit it. The decision by Magyar’s new Tisza government to open up the building to the public is largely symbolic, echoing the 2014 opening of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych’s palace north of Kyiv – though in the former case it revealed far less extravagance, instead showcasing austerity and some surprisingly uncomfortable furniture. Magyar and other government members had already removed the barrier put up by Orban’s government to keep the public away from the street that ran outside the building formerly housing the Prime Minister's Office. “There should be no more cordons in Hungary separating the government and the people,” Magyar declared. The small bedroom next to Viktor Orban’s office is austere and features a metal-framed single bed, in the former Carmelite Monastery, which had previously housed the Prime Minister’s Office, in the Castle District of Budapest, Hungary, 16 May 2026. After being elected in 1998, Orban had his sights set on the neighbouring Sandor Palace, but when he was voted out of office in 2002, the building became the official residence of the president. Re-elected in 2010, Orban eventually moved his office into the adjacent Carmelite Monastery building in 2019. Despite the aura of secrecy surrounding the building – and the 20-billion-forint (52 million euros) renovation price tag – its interior proved to be relatively modest in places, even featuring a cell-like private bedroom for Orban with a metal-framed single bed. The wood-panelled library with a giant globe, however, stunned most visitors, as did the cabinet room, where Orban’s chair was distinguished from the other ministers’ classic armchairs by a small crown on the top back. On the wall hung a controversial map of “historical Hungary”, which included as territories present-day Transylvania in Romania, Vojvodina in Serbia and part of Slovakia. Peter Magyar, Hungary’s new prime minister, shows off the terrace that his predecessor Viktor Orban used to welcome foreign dignitaries, in the former Carmelite Monastery, which had previously housed the Prime Minister’s Office, in the Castle District of Budapest, Hungary, 16 May 2026. Independent media outlets were never allowed beyond that point – especially not to the spectacular terrace and inner garden, reminiscent of Spain’s Alhambra, replete with fountains, manicured lawns and a towering statue of the Virgin Mary bearing Hungarian runic script.

Key points

• An air of secrecy has surrounded the building previously housing the Prime Minister's Office, as nobody outside of the Fidesz party elite were permitted to visit it.
• The decision by Magyar’s new Tisza government to open up the building to the public is largely symbolic, echoing the 2014 opening of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych’s palace north of K…
• Magyar and other government members had already removed the barrier put up by Orban’s government to keep the public away from the street that ran outside the building formerly housing the Prime Min…
• “There should be no more cordons in Hungary separating the government and the people,” Magyar declared.
• The small bedroom next to Viktor Orban’s office is austere and features a metal-framed single bed, in the former Carmelite Monastery, which had previously housed the Prime Minister’s Office, in the…