Name: Kossuth Lajos tér
Category: Architecture, castles and historic districts
Location: 1055 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos tér
Description
In this large square, on 23rd October 1989 a huge crowd massed, that had come to celebrate the proclamation of the Hungarian Republic. The star which decorated the tip of the arrow on the dome was then taken down. The square bears the name of Lajos Kossuth, one of the heads of the war of independence in 1848-1849. Opposite, on the other side of the square, a statue of Ferenc Rákóczi II on horseback, a hero of the 1703-1711 war against the Habsburgs.
Walk around the square and admire the enormous Parliament building and the impressive neo-classical Museum of Ethnography.
Leaving the Kossuth square in southeast direction you get to the memorial of Imre Nagy, prime minister and leader of the 1956 revolt against the Soviet Union. The statue is placed on a bridge.
Good to know
- Kossuth Square is the symbolic center of the Hungarian state
- It is surrounded by splendid buildings on all sides including the Hungarian Parliament. Other notable buildings are the Ministry of Agricuture and Museuem of Ethnography
- The area was developed at the end of the 19th century after the unification of Buda and Pest gave way to large scale construction projects beyond the old city walls
- The monument in front of the Parliament commemorates the 1848-49 Revolution and Independence War againt Austria. Another monument pays tribute to Ferenc II Rákóczi, leader of the 1703-11 independence war against the Habsburgs
- The square was also the starting point of the 1956 revolution against the Soivets when a pieceful demonstration turned violent
- The bullet holes and the Imre Nagy memorial are the reminders of these historical events
- The Museum of Ethnography housed in an impressive neo-classic building presents a large collection of local costumes, toys, furnishings, wedding costumes and more
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