Széll Kálmán tér (''Széll Kálmán Square'', formerly known as Moszkva tér or ''Moscow Square'' between 1951 and 2011) is a square 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 ...
. It is one of the city's busiest transport interchanges (comparable to
Móricz Zsigmond körtér Móricz Zsigmond körtér ("''Zsigmond Móricz circus''") is a square in Budapest, Hungary.
Located in Újbuda, or Budapest's 11th District at the convergence of some of Budapest's major boulevards '' Béla Bartók út, Villányi út, Fehérvá ...
farther south), which is served by
a station
, known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, creative director, and writer. He appeared in a number of Japanese TV dramas, including ''Mei-chan no Shitsuji'', ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'' and ''Zettai Kareshi''. Additionally, he was well kn ...
on
Metro line 2, tram lines 4, 6, 17, 56, 56A, 59, 59A, 59B, 61 and bus lines 5, 16, 16A, 21, 21A, 22, 22A, 39, 91, 102, 116, 128, 129, 139, 140, 140A, 142, 149, 155, 156, 222.
Several buses head for the popular hiking destinations of the Buda hills so this square (with the classic, old clock above it) is a common meeting place for those going on excursions. It can be considered the centre of
Buda
Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
, because of its traffic and the several stores around it, including Mammut, a shopping mall.
Buda Castle
Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...
is easily accessible from here, either on foot or by bus lines 16, 16A or 116.
History
The originally anonymous area became Széll Kálmán tér (''Széll Kálmán Square'') in 1929, named after the Hungarian prime minister
Kálmán Széll
Kálmán Széll de Duka et Szentgyörgyvölgy (8 June 1843 – 16 August 1915) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1899 to 1903.
Early career
He was born in the ancient Hungarian nobilit ...
. Following the Soviet occupation and the Communist takeover in the country, the square was renamed to Moszkva tér in 1951 under the
Rákosi regime. Following the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, it was debated whether it should be renamed again to the original Széll Kálmán, but initially the name remained.
During the first part of the
1956 revolution
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...
Soviet troops (who at the time were stationed in the western part of the country, near
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...
) tried to capture the city, attacking towards this square. This first attempt was unsuccessful and the country was free until the November 1956 Soviet invasion.
On March 26, 2011, the City Council of Budapest, restored the original name of the square, ''Széll Kálmán tér''.
In 2011, a renovation of the square was planned, with a budget of three billion forints.
[BKK (Budapest Transportation Office) official websit]
Széll Kálmán tér átalakítása
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On January 21, 2015, the smaller refurbishment works of Széll Kálmán tér began. The reconstruction work was completed in 2016 and introduced a modern design, high quality services and a greener, more integrated public space.
An amount of HUF 5.3 billion, provided from government, EU and municipal funds, is at the disposal of the Municipality of Budapest. The reconstruction work activities will last till the spring of 2016, taking place in several phases, in some cases causing occasional inconveniences related to traffic.
Gallery
File:Moszkva ter posta kozelicivertanlegi.jpg
File:Széll Kálmán tér.jpg
See also
* Moscow Square (film) - 2001 film named for the square
References
External links
Live webcam onverlooking the squareAerial photography of the post officeMától új utcaneveket kell megszokniuk a budapestieknek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szell Kalman Ter
Squares in Budapest