Liberty Statue (Budapest)
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The Szabadság Szobor or Liberty Statue (sometimes Freedom Statue) in Budapest, Hungary, was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet liberation of Hungary from Nazi forces during World War II. Its location upon Gellért Hill makes it a prominent feature of Budapest's cityscape.
The existing 14 meter tall bronze statue stands atop a 26 meter pedestal and holds a palm branch. Several smaller statues are also present around the base, but the original monument consisted of several more that have since been removed from the site and relocated to Statue Park. The monument was designed by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Stróbl.
At the time of the monument's construction, the repulsion of Nazi forces by the Soviets was considered a liberation -- leading to the original inscription upon the memorial, which can be translated to read "Erected by the grateful Hungarian Nation in memory of the liberating Russian heroes."
Over the following years, public sentiment toward the Soviets decreased to the point of revolution, which was attempted in 1956 and subsequently damaged some portions of the monument. After the 1989 transition from Communist rule to a more Democratic government, the inscription was modified to read (translated from Hungarian), "To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary."
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