Lajos Kossuth Square
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Kossuth Lajos tér (in English: Lajos Kossuth Square, in short: Kossuth tér) is situated in the Lipótváros neighbourhood of Budapest, District V, on the bank of the Danube. Its most notable landmark is the Hungarian Parliament Building (Hungarian: Országház). There is a station of the M2 (East-West) line of the Budapest Metro on the square.
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[edit] Name and History
The square got its present name in 1927. Before that it was called Országház tér ("Parliament Square") between 1898 and 1927, and Tömő tér or Stadt Schopper Platz in German ("Landfill Square") between 1853 and 1898. The former name indicates that this low-lying territory next to the river, then outside the town of Pest, was filled with rubbish to raise the level of the ground. The first recorded name was Stadtischer Auswind Platz ("Unloading Square for the Ships") in 1820.
In the second half of the 19th century, great public buildings were erected on the square that became the symbolic centre of the Hungarian state. The most important among them is the Hungarian Parliament Building on the western side.
Facing the Parliament, the Museum of Ethnography (originally the Palace of Justice) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development can be found.
After World War II, a temporary bridge was built between Kossuth Lajos tér and Batthyány tér (on the opposite side of the Danube), named Kossuth híd, which functioned from 1946 until 1960. It was dismantled when most of the permanent bridges were re-built. It is marked with memorial stones on the Pest and the Buda sides. In its place, a pontoon bridge was built in 1973 and in 2003, for a few days around national holidays.
From 17 September 2006 Kossuth Square was the scene of the great anti-government demonstrations against Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány triggered by the release of Gyurcsány's speech in which he confessed that he had lied to win the 2006 elections. Until 23 October the square was continuously occupied by the demonstrators.
After the 23 October riots the police closed off the square with cordons. The long closure of square caused controversy. The cordons were removed only on 19 March 2007. The damaged park was subsequently restored and the square was given back to the public.
[edit] Memorials
In front of the Parliament building, the Kossuth Memorial and an equestrian statue of Francis II Rákóczi are situated, as well as a 1956 Hungarian Revolution memorial. A modern statue of Attila József is to be found nearby, south of the Parliament, sitting on the bank of the river (actually he is sitting on a grassy mound quiet far from the water) as described in his poem By the Danube.
[edit] Neighbourhood
The neighbourhood of Kossuth Lajos tér is generally quiet; it mostly comprises ministries, court-houses and offices beside residential buildings.
[edit] External links
