PLACE DES HÉROS (HŐSÖK TERE)

The largest square in the capital was built in 1896, on the occasion of the Millennium celebrations, celebrating the arrival of the Magyars in the Carpathian basin. The square is surrounded by Műcsarnok and the Fine Arts Museum on the sides and opens onto the city's Woods. In the centre of the square, in the Andrássy út axis, stands the Millennium Monument. It is in the form of a 36 m high obelisk, from whose summit the Archangel Gabriel rises to heaven, holding the Hungarian crown and the double apostolic cross. According to legend, the archangel Gabriel appeared in a dream to St Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary, by offering him the crown. The base of the column is decorated with a proudly camped equestrian group representing Árpád and the leaders of the other six Magyar tribes who conquered the country in 896.

Behind the Millennium Monument, two semi-circular colonnades present the great figures of Hungarian history. After the Second World War, the Habsburg statues in it were replaced by Hungarian politicians. In 1920, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inaugurated at the foot of the monument. Under the communist regime, the Heroes' Square was the place of forced gatherings. On the other hand, the burial of Prime Minister Imre Nagy and his companions, executed by the communists, brought together 250,000 people who came spontaneously. The square is always a gathering place for national holidays or demonstrations.