Merlin Entertainments has revealed plans to open a new Madame Tussauds in the heart of Hungarian capital city Budapest in early 2022.

Located near the city's Vörösmarty square, the attraction will be the first full-scale franchised site for the brand, following an agreement signed between Merlin and franchisee Dorottya Experience Kft.

Showcasing the iconic waxworks – featuring international and domestic, current and late famous figures – the 2,000sq m attraction has been earmarked to play an important role in reviving tourism in the area, once pandemic restrictions are lifted.

The celebrities and historical figures to feature in the attraction were chosen after "thorough market research and extensive negotiations". The plan is to include former politicians, Hungarian musicians, artists, athletes and other public figures.

Chris Scurrah, franchise director of Merlin Entertainments, said: "We are launching our Madame Tussauds franchise in Budapest with a local partner experienced in the field of brand-building and tourism.

"This will be the first full-scale franchise attraction of the Madame Tussauds brand.

"Following a successful opening, we will continue to look at other Madame Tussauds franchise opportunities around the globe, in markets where the brand is not already present. Future partners are already being identified.”

Miklós Köncz, general manager of Dorottya Experience KFT, said: "Our goal is to open a new Madame Tussauds attraction that adds another venue to the list of tourist attractions in the heart of Budapest, while making the Madame Tussauds brand known and popular in Hungary.

"Works on the attraction are already in progress and we are looking forward to opening our doors to visitors from around the world in 2022.

"We plan to expand the range of the Hungarian touristic offering with an attraction applying an interactive and experience-based approach.”