This building is not only a museum, but a vivid reminder of two tragic periods in Hungary's history. In 1944, it housed the headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis, and, from 1945 to 1956, the headquarters of the ÁVO and ÁVH, the Communist political police. Today, reincarnated as a museum, its aims are to serve as a reminder of the terrible acts committed under the dictatorships, and as a memorial paying homage to the victims of the terror.