Few museums in Budapest are located in such elegant surroundings as the Schiffer Villa in Terézváros, just a few minutes from the City Park. Hidden in the shade of plane trees, the building now houses the Museum of Finance Guard and Taxation History, a unique collection that presents the history of the Hungarian finance guard and taxation.

A new temporary exhibition has recently opened at the museum, which is unique in that the objects and documents on display are made up of memorabilia donated by the National Tax and Customs Administration and its employees. The exhibition reminds us that the museum objects of the future are born in the present. What is a service tool, a document, or a personal story today may appear in display cases in a few decades as an important piece of an institution’s history. This is why conscious collecting and preserving memories is particularly important.

The tradition of the Financial Guard’s museum collection dates back nearly a century. The first collection opened in 1930 in the barracks of the Royal Hungarian Financial Guard on Fiumei Road and was known throughout Europe. It not only preserved historical memories, but also helped train young financial guards by demonstrating smuggling methods. However, World War II caused serious losses: many objects were destroyed or damaged. The collection was only revived decades later, during the transition to democracy, and in 1995, the museum’s permanent exhibition reopened at its current location, in the villa on Munkácsy Street.

The building itself is a special attraction. The Schiffer villa was built for his family by railway engineer and entrepreneur Miksa Schiffer between 1910 and 1912. The late Art Nouveau building was designed by József Vágó, one of the most significant Hungarian architects of the era. The villa is surprisingly modest from the outside, but its interior reveals a true work of art to visitors.

In the hall, which is over seven meters high, for example, a monumental stained-glass window by Károly Kernstok dominates the space, the walls are decorated with Zsolnay ceramics, and the marble floor and decorative stained-glass windows make the building one of the most beautiful examples of Hungarian Art Nouveau. The villa was once furnished with interiors evoking the harmony of art and nature, with unique furniture and paintings—only a few of which remain today, but the atmosphere of the space is still impressive.

The museum’s permanent exhibition takes visitors through the history of the Hungarian financial guard from the 18th century to the present day in chronological order. The display cases contain uniforms, contemporary documents, smuggling tools, and objects illustrating everyday life in the service. Another exhibition presents the history of taxation: from the founding of the state, through the reforms of King Matthias, to the development of the modern tax system.

The Schiffer Villa is therefore not just a museum, but an exciting meeting point where Hungarian history, the past of financial administration, and turn-of-the-century art become visible at the same time. Those who enter the villa’s door from the quiet street are immediately transported back in time to the history of the Hungarian financial guard and into a special Art Nouveau world.

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