Budapest’s Tiniest Troublemaker Strikes Again: Two New Kolodko Statues to Hunt Down

If you’ve spent any time wandering around Budapest, you’ve probably noticed that this city has a soft spot for the unexpected. Tucked into railings, curbs, and quiet corners across town, tiny bronze figures pop up where you’d least expect them, and hunting them down has become something of a local sport. The man behind them is Mihály Kolodko, a Ukrainian-born sculptor who’s been quietly leaving his mark on Budapest for years without asking anyone’s permission. That’s not an exaggeration either. He’s often called a guerrilla sculptor because his miniatures just appear overnight, with no ceremony, no press release, just a new tiny bronze figure and a city full of people trying to spot it.

This summer, Kolodko has been especially busy. Two new pieces have joined his growing collection scattered across Budapest, and both are worth the detour if you’re already exploring the city center or Margaret Island.

A Zen Rabbit Hiding on Margaret Island

Margaret Island, or Margitsziget as locals call it, is one of Budapest’s favorite green escapes, a car-free island in the middle of the Danube packed with parks, thermal baths, and a running track that loops around the whole perimeter. It’s also worth knowing that the island’s old Hungarian name was Nyulak Szigete, which translates to Rabbit Island, so a rabbit statue showing up here isn’t random at all. It’s a nod to the island’s own history.

Kolodko’s newest rabbit sits in an unusual spot: a part of the island that’s normally underwater. To find it, head toward the southern tip of the island on the side facing the Pest riverbank, following the running track toward the very end of the island. At a certain point, a set of yellow steps leads down to a lower level so you can continue toward the tip. The little bronze rabbit is tucked right at the bottom of those steps, sitting calmly, almost meditating, which is why locals have already nicknamed it the zen rabbit.

There’s a fun backstory behind that nickname, too. A few weeks before the statue appeared, a wild rabbit jumped out near a field and collided head-on with an e-scooter rider, sending them tumbling. The moment was caught on camera, went viral almost instantly, and spawned hundreds of memes across Hungary. Locals have connected the dots and joke that Kolodko’s new statue is a tribute to that very rabbit, now immortalized in bronze and looking a lot calmer than it did mid-collision, hence the zen rabbit nickname. Just be aware that this part of the island can flood depending on the Danube’s water level, so timing your visit after a dry spell will give you the best chance of actually seeing it rather than a small ripple where it should be.

A Tiny Forklift Taking on One of Budapest’s Most Controversial Monuments

The second new piece is a little more pointed, both literally and figuratively. It appeared near Szabadság tér, one of Budapest’s grandest squares, just a short walk from the Hungarian Parliament. A few weeks earlier, Kolodko had already placed a miniature statue next to the Hungarian National Bank to mark the 80th anniversary of the forint’s introduction, so this part of the city has quickly become something of a Kolodko cluster.

His latest addition is a miniature forklift, complete with a tiny driver, positioned as if it’s actively trying to lift the base of the Memorial for the Victims of the German Occupation. It’s classic Kolodko: small, funny, and just a little bit cheeky, but this one carries some real weight if you know the backstory.

The memorial itself is one of the most debated monuments in Hungary. It depicts Hungary as an angel being attacked by a German eagle, a symbolic representation of the country losing its sovereignty during the German occupation in 1944. The problem, according to many historians, is that this framing conveniently leaves out Hungary’s own role in the deportations that followed. It’s a version of history that positions the country purely as a victim, which many feel oversimplifies a much more complicated and painful truth.

That controversy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Right next to the official memorial, you’ll usually find a smaller, unofficial one: old photographs, personal mementos, and shoes left by visitors and activists as a quiet counterpoint to the official narrative. So when Kolodko placed a tiny forklift there, positioned as if it’s trying to shift the monument’s base, it read less like a random joke and more like a deliberate statement. He clearly knew exactly what he was doing.

Why These Tiny Statues Are Worth the Detour

Budapest has no shortage of grand monuments and postcard views, but Kolodko’s miniatures offer something different: a chance to see the city’s sense of humor and its ongoing conversations with its own history, all condensed into a few inches of bronze. Tracking them down gives you a reason to slow down, walk streets you might otherwise skip, and look a little closer at corners you’d normally walk right past.

If you’re planning a Budapest itinerary that already includes Margaret Island and the Parliament area, adding these two new stops costs you almost no extra time and rewards you with one of the more unusual souvenirs of your trip: a photo with a bronze rabbit that’s become a viral local legend, and a miniature forklift trying to move a piece of history that Hungary is still figuring out how to remember.