Soviet War Memorial — Attraction in Budapest

The square was created in 1897 and in 1900, it was named Freedom Square. The square is special because it’s located close to the Parliament and also because it is home to the Soviet Monument, which is very divisive in society. Some people think that the monument is a symbol of Soviet oppression, while others recall the liberation of Budapest from the German army at the sight of the monument.

One of the most important elements of the monument is the five pointed star at the top. “Glory to the liberating Soviet heroes” in Hungarian and Russian Cyrillic letters. During the 1956 revolution, the monument was mutilated, but it was restored immediately after the revolution.

There are several buildings around the square which they are; the square are the Hungarian National Bank, the Stock Exchange Palace, and the...

The monument is both an essential representation of the horrors of war, and a controversial subject for many Hungarians. On the one hand, it commemorates the fallen soldiers of the Soviet army, and on the other, it is a symbol of a regime, which continuously disregarded human rights. Ironically, it is situated in the Freedom square in Budapest, right next to the American embassy. Particularly interesting was the reaction of American officials in the country to this situation. Instead of confronting the issue directly, they undertook other measures. In 2011 they built a statue of American president Ronald Reagan, famous for his hard line against communism, right nearby the monument. These works of art represent the clash of two political systems and their cultural differences, right in the...

The very large war memorial is located on the north end of Liberty Square, and it commemorates the Russian soldiers who lost their lives during the liberation of Budapest in World War II. Unfortunately, the Hungarian people went from one kind of horror to another after the Soviet’s replaced the Germans. What is unique about this oversized statue, is the two life size figures of two American presidents. The most important one is President Reagan, who took a hardline stance against the Soviets, which resulted in the end of the Cold War and in essence, the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the liberation of those countries that suffered under the weight of the...