The Memento Park in Budapest
Budapest, a city of a thousand resources and full of places to visit, gives us the opportunity to discover its secrets through a fascinating place: the Memento Park. After having visited the city centre, go the outskirts, where the charming Memento Park is located.
After the change of regime in the capital in 1989-1990, unlike many other cities that burned or destroyed all the communist symbols, Budapest preserved part of them. They gathered all the statues representing the great figures of communism like Marx, Lenin, Stalin or Bela Kun, along with the anonymous soldiers and liberators of the USSR and they created this park in their memory. This is one of the most beautiful and curious attractions of the city and a mandatory stop. It looks like a big building full of classical statues, where you can see the attempt of the architect Ákos Eleőd to highlight the nature of the dictatorship.
The different statues and symbols appear to shout out against the dictatorial regime in the name of freedom. Today this park is a place of commemoration and an interesting museum to visit. There are allegoric monuments that symbolize the “Hungarian – Soviet” friendship and the “Liberation” along with statues of the labour movement and the soldiers of the Red Army.
One of the most appreciated statues is the Soviet Liberator Soldier statue. This is a 6 metre tall statue with a fearsome look. It was initially placed at the top of the Gellért hill, so everybody could see it. This soldier has a flag in the hand with a hammer and sickle and a pistol. This park is a unique museum, and an important symbol of this charming city.
The park is located on the outskirts of the capital. There are many remains of ancient statues: for example, there are Stalin’s boots (the only part that remains of the statue), which after World War II dominated Heroes’ Square in Budapest. This is a place for parades and state meetings.
This huge park full of exciting statues is a real honour to the condemnation of any regime. Rent your Apartments in Budapest and don’t miss the Memento Park… It will captivate you!
