Liberty Statue (Budapest)
Encyclopedia
The Szabadság Szobor or Liberty Statue (sometimes Freedom Statue) in Budapest
, Hungary
, was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet liberation of Hungary from Nazi forces during World War II
. Its location upon Gellért Hill
makes it a prominent feature of Budapest's cityscape.
The 14 metre tall bronze statue stands atop a 26 metre pedestal and holds a palm
leaf. Several smaller statues are also present around the base, but the original monument consisted of several more originally that have since been removed from the site and relocated to Statue Park. The monument was originally designed by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Stróbl
.
At the time of the monument's construction, the repulsion of Nazi forces by the Soviets was considered a liberation -- leading to the original inscription upon the memorial, which can be translated to read "Erected by the grateful Hungarian Nation in memory of the liberating Russian heroes."
Over the following years, public sentiment toward the Soviets decreased to the point of revolution, which was attempted in 1956 and subsequently damaged some portions of the monument. After the 1989 transition from Communist rule to a more democratic
government, the inscription was modified to read (translated from Hungarian
), "To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary."
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet liberation of Hungary from Nazi forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Its location upon Gellért Hill
Gellért Hill
Gellért Hill is a high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It is part of the 1st and 11th Districts. Gellért Hill was named after Saint Gerard who was thrown to death from the hill. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the...
makes it a prominent feature of Budapest's cityscape.
The 14 metre tall bronze statue stands atop a 26 metre pedestal and holds a palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
leaf. Several smaller statues are also present around the base, but the original monument consisted of several more originally that have since been removed from the site and relocated to Statue Park. The monument was originally designed by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Stróbl
Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl
Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His sculptural style integrated elements of realism and academism style mainly engaged in creating portrait busts.-Early life:...
.
At the time of the monument's construction, the repulsion of Nazi forces by the Soviets was considered a liberation -- leading to the original inscription upon the memorial, which can be translated to read "Erected by the grateful Hungarian Nation in memory of the liberating Russian heroes."
Over the following years, public sentiment toward the Soviets decreased to the point of revolution, which was attempted in 1956 and subsequently damaged some portions of the monument. After the 1989 transition from Communist rule to a more democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
government, the inscription was modified to read (translated from Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
), "To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary."
See also
- Hungary during World War IIHungary during World War IIHungary during World War II was a member of the Axis powers. In the 1930s, the Kingdom of Hungary relied on increased trade with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany to pull itself out of the Great Depression. By 1938, Hungarian politics and foreign policy had become increasingly pro-Fascist Italian and...
- People's Republic of HungaryPeople's Republic of HungaryThe People's Republic of Hungary or Hungarian People's Republic was the official state name of Hungary from 1949 to 1989 during its Communist period under the guidance of the Soviet Union. The state remained in existence until 1989 when opposition forces consolidated in forcing the regime to...
- Hungarian Revolution of 1956
- List of statues by height