Hősök tere (), lit. Heroes' Square, is one of the major squares in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
, noted for its iconic Millennium Monument with statues featuring the
Seven chieftains of the Magyars
The Seven chieftains of the Magyars (or Hungarians) were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians at the time of their arrival in the Carpathian Basin in AD 895. Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire names the seven tribes i ...
and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes, often erroneously referred as the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The square lies at the outbound end of
Andrássy Avenue
The House of Andrássy is the name of a Hungarian noble family of very ancient lineage that was prominent in Hungarian history. The full family name is ''Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka''. ''Csíkszentkirály'' is a town in modern ...
next to
City Park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
(''Városliget''). It hosts the
Museum of Fine Arts and the ''
Palace of Art'' (Műcsarnok). The square has played an important part in contemporary Hungarian history and has been a host to many political events, such as the reburial of
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
in 1989. Most sculptures were made by sculptor
György Zala from
Lendava
Lendava (; formerly ''Dolnja Lendava'', in older sources also ''Dolenja Lendava''; hu, Lendva, formerly ''Alsólendva''; german: Lindau, formerly ''Unter-Limbach'') is a town in Slovenia in the region of Prekmurje. It is the seat of the Municip ...
, with one made by
György Vastagh
György Vastagh (12 April 1834 in Szeged – 21 February 1922 in Budapest) was a Hungarian portrait and genre painter.
Biography
His father was a shipping administrator, but had artistic leanings, which influenced György to start painting ...
.
In Budapest there are three more squares named Hősök tere, 'Heroes' Square', in the districts or neighbourhoods of
Soroksár
Soroksár (german: Markt) the 23rd district of Budapest, Hungary.
List of mayors
Twin towns - twin cities
* Törökbálint – Hungary
* Nürtingen – Germany
* Odorheiu Secuiesc – Romania
* Tvardica – Bulgaria
* Tongzhou (Beijin ...
,
Békásmegyer
Békásmegyer (german: Krottendorf) is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It belongs administratively to District III. Békásmegyer consists of two different parts, a huge high-rise housing estate and the traditional ''Ófalu'' ("Old Village") ...
and
Rákosliget.
History and outlook
''Hősök tere'' is surrounded by two important buildings,
Museum of Fine Arts on the left and
Palace of Art (or more accurately ''Hall of Art'') on the right. On the other side it faces
Andrássy Avenue
The House of Andrássy is the name of a Hungarian noble family of very ancient lineage that was prominent in Hungarian history. The full family name is ''Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka''. ''Csíkszentkirály'' is a town in modern ...
which has two buildings looking at the square – one is residential and the other one is the
embassy of Serbia (former Yugoslavian embassy where
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
secured sanctuary in 1956).
The central feature of Heroes' Square, as well as a landmark of Budapest, is the Millennium Memorial ( hu, Millenáriumi Emlékmű, also translated Millennium Monument or Millennial Monument). Construction began in 1896 to commemorate the thousandth anniversary of the
Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin
The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, also known as the Hungarian conquest or the Hungarian land-taking (), was a series of historical events ending with the settlement of the Hungarians in Central Europe in the late 9th and early 10t ...
and the
foundation of the Hungarian state in 896, and was part of a much larger construction project which also included the expansion and refurbishing of Andrássy Avenue and the construction of the
first metro line in Budapest ( hu, Földalatti). Construction was mostly completed in 1900, which was when the square received its name. The four allegoric sculptures were added in 1906, the monument as a whole basically looked like it does today (except for the kings' statues), complete with the surrounding museums on either side, and it was inaugurated still in the same year, 1906.
When the monument was originally constructed, Hungary was a part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and thus the last five spaces for statues on the left of the colonnade were reserved for members of the ruling
Habsburg dynasty
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
. From left to right these were
Ferdinand I (relief:
Defense of the Castle at Eger);
Leopold I (relief: Eugene of Savoy defeats the Turks at
Zenta),
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
,
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
(relief: The
Hungarian Diet votes support for Maria Therese with their vow "vitam et sanguinem" at
Pressburg
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
on 11 September 1741) and
Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
(relief: Franz Joseph crowned by
Gyula Andrássy
Count Gyula Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka (8 March 1823 – 18 February 1890) was a Hungarian statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Hungary (1867–1871) and subsequently as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (1871– ...
). The monument was damaged in World War II and when it was rebuilt the Habsburgs were replaced by the current figures.
On 16 June 1989 a crowd of 250,000 gathered at the square for the historic reburial of
Imre Nagy
Imre Nagy (; 7 June 1896 – 16 June 1958) was a Hungarian communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (''de facto'' Prime Minister) of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader ...
, who had been executed in June 1958.
At the front of the monument is the Memorial Stone of Heroes (Hősök emlékköve), a large stone
cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
surrounded by an ornamental iron chain. The cenotaph is dedicated "To the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our people and our national independence." While some guide books refer to this as a tomb it is not a burial place but is erroneously referred as the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier". Hungary has no
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier unlike most European countries, nor any memorial to the unknown fallen of wars. No human remnants are interred here, there is only an artesian well under the tombstone-like memorial. The Memorial Stone of Heroes was originally erected in 1929 as a tribute to those who died defending Hungary's 1000-year-old borders. It was removed in 1951 as its message was politically unacceptable for the Communist regime. The current one was built at the same spot in 1956. The memorial is surrounded by a fence and it is off limits for visitors. The Ministry of Defence only opens the gate for foreign dignitaries and official state ceremonies.
Behind the cenotaph but within the decorative chain is a flat bronze plate which marks the site of an
artesian well
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within t ...
whose drilling was completed in 1878 by Vilmos Zsigmondy. This well provides water for the
Széchenyi thermal bath behind the monument and the Dagály Baths in the ''Népfürdő utca''. The well reached a depth of 971 meters and produces 831 liters of hot water per minute at 74 degrees Celsius.
The Heroes' Square monument has a 90% duplicate in
Shanghai Global Paradise, Shanghai. Since its opening in 1996, it has been mostly degraded and most statues removed.
Millennium Monument
The back of the monument consists of two matched colonnades, each with seven statues representing great figures of Hungarian history.
This is a list of the statesmen portrayed in the semi-circular arcades, with the topic of the relief below each figure given below the name.
Statues of the column
File:Budapest - Millennium monument.jpg, The column
File:Gabor arkangyal.jpg, The top of the column depicts Archangel Gabriel, who holds the Hungarian Holy Crown and the apostolic double cross in his hands
File:Hosok Tere Budapest - left side.jpg, Left side view of some of the statues of the Seven chieftains of the Magyars
The Seven chieftains of the Magyars (or Hungarians) were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians at the time of their arrival in the Carpathian Basin in AD 895. Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire names the seven tribes i ...
Directly behind the cenotaph is a column topped by a statue of the archangel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ� ...
. In his right hand the angel holds the
Holy Crown of
St. Stephen
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
(Istvan), the first king of Hungary. In his left hand the angel holds a
two-barred apostolic cross, a symbol awarded to St. Stephen by the Pope in recognition of his efforts to convert Hungary to Christianity. In Hungarian it is referred to as the
double cross or the apostolic double cross.
At the base of the column is a group of seven mounted figures representing the
Magyar chieftains who led the Hungarian people into the
Carpathian basin
The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large Sedimentary basin, basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The Geomorphology, geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewh ...
. In the front is
Árpád
Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...
, considered to be the founder of the Hungarian nation. Behind him are the chieftains
Előd, Ond,
Kond
Kond ( hy, Կոնդ, meaning ''long hill'' in Armenian; during the Persian rule, Tepebashi) is one of the oldest quarters of Yerevan. It is situated within the boundaries of the modern-day Kentron District of the capital of Armenia. According to ...
, Tas, Huba, and Töhötöm (Tétény). Little survives in the historical record about these individuals and both their costumes and their horses are considered to be more fanciful than historically accurate.
Statues of the left colonnade
Topping the outer (left) edge of the left colonnade is a statue of a man with a
scythe
A scythe ( ) is an agriculture, agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It is historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely ...
and a woman sowing seed, representing Labour and Wealth. At the inner (right) end of the left colonnade, is a male figure driving a chariot using a snake as a whip and representing War. For the initial five statues of Habsburg emperors and the corresponding reliefs, see above in the history paragraph.
File:Munka és a Jólét.jpg, Labour and Wealth (on the left colonnade)
File:Háború.jpg, Charioteer with a snake, symbolising War
File:Budapest Heroes square Szent István.jpg, Stephen I of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( hu, Szent István király ; la, Sanctus Stephanus; sk, Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the ...
; the king receives the crown from an emissary of the Pope
File:Budapest Heroes square Szent László.jpg, Ladislaus I of Hungary
Ladislaus I ( hu, László, hr, Ladislav, sk, Ladislav, pl, Władysław; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and ...
; the king slays the Cuman abductor
File:Budapest Heroes square Kálmán 1.jpg, Coloman of Hungary; the king prohibits the burning of witches
File:Budapest Heroes square II Andras.jpg, Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II ( hu, II. András, hr, Andrija II., sk, Ondrej II., uk, Андрій II; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 11 ...
; the king leads a crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...
to the Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
File:Budapest Heroes square Béla IV.jpg, Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his fath ...
; the king rebuilds the country after the Mongol invasion
The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire (1206-1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
File:Budapest Heroes square Károly Robert.jpg, Charles I of Hungary
Charles I, also known as Charles Robert ( hu, Károly Róbert; hr, Karlo Robert; sk, Karol Róbert; 128816 July 1342) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of ...
; King Ladislaus IV defeats Ottokar at the battle of Marchfeld
The Battle on the Marchfeld (''i.e. Morava Field''; german: Schlacht auf dem Marchfeld; cs, Bitva na Moravském poli; hu, Morvamezei csata) at Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen took place on 26 August 1278 and was a decisive event for the history o ...
File:Budapest Heroes square Nágy Lájos.jpg, Louis I of Hungary
Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...
; King Louis the Great occupies Naples
Statues of the right colonnade
At the inner (right) end of the right colonnade is a female figure in a chariot holding a palm frond representing Peace. At the outer (left) end of the right colonnade is a double statue of a man holding a small golden statue and a woman with a palm frond, representing Knowledge and Glory.
File:Béke biga-szobor, Millenniumi emlékmű, Budapest.jpg, The female statue of Peace
File:Tudás és a Dicsőség.jpg, Knowledge and Glory
File:Budapest Heroes square Hunyadi János.jpg, John Hunyadi
John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...
; the Siege of Belgrade (1456)
The siege of Belgrade, Battle of Belgrade or siege of Nándorfehérvár ( hu, Nándorfehérvár ostroma or , "Triumph of Nándorfehérvár"; sr-Cyr, Опсада Београда, Opsada Beograda) was a military blockade of Belgrade that o ...
File:Budapest Heroes square Matyás.jpg, Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...
; the king with his scholars
File:Budapest Heroes square Bocskai István.jpg, István Bocskay; Hajdú soldiers defeat the Habsburg imperial forces
File:Budapest Heroes square Bethlen Gábor.jpg, Gabriel Bethlen
Gabriel Bethlen ( hu, Bethlen Gábor; 15 November 1580 – 15 November 1629) was Prince of Transylvania from 1613 to 1629 and Duke of Opole from 1622 to 1625. He was also King-elect of Hungary from 1620 to 1621, but he never took control of th ...
(statue by György Vastagh); the prince concludes a treaty with Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
File:Budapest Heroes square Thokoly Imre.jpg, Imre Thököly
Imre is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry ...
; the battle of Szikszó
File:Budapest Heroes square Ferenz Rákoczi II.jpg, Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi ( hu, II. Rákóczi Ferenc, ; 27 March 1676 – 8 April 1735) was a Hungarian nobleman and leader of Rákóczi's War of Independence against the Habsburgs in 1703–11 as the prince ( hu, fejedelem) of the Estates Confedera ...
; the prince returns from Poland
File:Budapest Heroes square Kossuth Lájos.jpg, Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, polit ...
; Kossuth rallies the peasants of the Great Plain
Gallery
Millennium Monument
File:The Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary.jpg, Heroes' Square at night
File:Hősök tere éjszaka - Budapest.jpg, Aerial
Buildings around the square
File:Budapest heroes Mucsarnok.jpg, Kunsthalle Budapest
The Budapest Hall of Art or Palace of Art, ( Hungarian − ''Műcsarnok Kunsthalle''), is a contemporary art museum and a historic building located in Budapest, Hungary.
Description
The museum building is on Heroes' Square, facing the Budap ...
at the right side of the Millennium Monument
File:Palace of Art, Budapest.jpeg, Kunsthalle, The main Entrance
File:Szepmuv Muzeum.jpg, Museum of Fine Arts at the left side of the Millennium Monument
File:Museum Fine Arts01.jpg, Museum of Fine arts: The main entrance
File:Budapest Vajdahunyad Castle R01.jpg, Behind the Millennium Monument: copy of the Gothic Vajdahunyad Castle
References
* Hajós, György, ''Heroes' Square'', Municipality of Budapest (2001)
* Gerő, András, ''Heroes' Square Budapest'', Corvina (1990)
External links
Hősök tere underground station
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hosok Tere
Squares in Budapest
World Heritage Sites in Hungary
Monuments and memorials in Hungary
Colonnades
Landmarks in Hungary
Victory monuments
Heroes