Around the World ... Hungary

1979

II
It’s 1979, Hungary is still behind the Iron Curtain and we’re visiting Budapest, Hungary’s capital. Hősök tere, or Heroes' Square, commemorates the thousandth anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the foundation of the Hungarian state in 1896. The center of the monument features the Seven chieftains of the Magyars and a column with on top the Archangel Gabriel holding the Hungarian Holy Crown. Hősök tere also has the main entrance to Budapest’s zoo where we meet this lazy brown bear. While private enterprises are not allowed under communist rule, we do see several street vendors making some money. On the southern tip of Castle Hill lies the Buda Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769. The other side of Buda Castle offers a fine view over the Danube river and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle, or Matthias Church (Mátyás-templom), was built in the second half of the 14th century. Two Hungarian Kings were crowned in this church. Behind the Matthias Church lies the Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya). It’s name supposedly comes from the fishermen living under the walls in a settlement called Fishtown. In 1979 Lenin was still standing still, overlooking Parade Square, a large square in the middle of the Castle Quarter used for military parades. Descended from Castle Hill we cast a glance over the Danube River towards Hungary’s Parliament Building. Gellért Hill with the Red Army Soldier Statue in front of the Liberation Monument. Today the statue is in Memento Park, an open-air museum dedicated to Hungary’s Communist period.
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