Passage to Eastern Europe: More Pest (8/26/2021)

Thursday, August 26, 2021 (continued)

After the Hungarian Parliament tour, we continued our walking shore excursion around Kossuth Tér/Kossuth Square.

Kossuth emlékmű/Kossuth Monument (2014 replica of
1906-1927 original by János Horvay); the original
monument was considered pessimistic (every figure is
looking downward) and was replaced by a more heroic
memorial (1950-1952, by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl)

Lajos Kossuth was a politician and journalist who was involved in the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848 for freedom from the dictates of Austria.

Igazságügyi palota/Palace of Justice (1893-1896,
by Alajos Hauszmann in Neo-Classical style
with elements of Renaissance and baroque)

The Palace of Justice is topped by a statue (Károly Senyei) of
the Roman goddess of Justice in a chariot drawn by three horses

The Kossuth Square reflecting pool  is not reflecting today

A new Memorial of Togetherness (2020) was completed
for the 100th Anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon;
on the walls are inscribed the names of 
12,485 Hungarian settlements that
were lost to other countries as of 1913

The Treaty of Trianon of 1920 essentially ended World War I between the Allies (except the United States) and Hungary, and set the boundaries of an independent Hungarian state, over which the Hungarians had no input. The memorial is apparently controversial in Budapest/Hungary.

Agrárminisztérium/Ministry of Agriculture (1885-1887,
by Gyula Bukovics in Neo-Renaissance style)

Statue of a farmer with scythe (KSS)

Our local guide Gerge, points out the
Véres csütörtök emlékhely/Bloody Thursday
Memorial, where metal balls have been
placed in the bullet holes in a column of
the Ministry of Agriculture

Bloody Thursday Memorial commemorates the
Kossuth téri mészárlás/Kossuth Square Massacre
and those who sought refuge in the arcades of
the building when Hungarian army and Soviet
military units began firing on a peaceful
gathering of protestors on 10/25/1956

This commercial building on the south side of
Kossuth Square is half-cleaned up

We were treated to more Sajtos pogácsa/
Hungarian cheese biscuits 

Day care youngsters, perhaps (KSS)

Well! This used to be the site of the 
Nagy Imre szobor/Imre Nagy statue, a sort
of hero during the 1956 Uprising; now there
is this Kommunista rendszer 1919
áldozatainak emlékműve/Monument to
the Victims of the 1919 Communist Regime

Onward to Szabadság tér/Liberty Square:

Ronald Reagan szobor/Ronald Reagan Statue
(2011, by István Máté) shows Hungarian
appreciation of President Reagan's efforts
to end the Cold War, although he never
visited Budapest or Hungary

Now the Bush elnök szobra/President Bush
Statue (2020, by István Máté) of someone
who did visit Budapest in 1989 and the crowds
in the pouring rain appreciated the short speech
given by President George H W Bush

Szovjet hősi emlékmű/Soviet War Memorial (1945, 
by Károly Antal) honors the soldiers of the Soviet
Red Army who died during the liberation of Budapest;
the city residents would like to see the memorial
removed, but apparently an agreement/treaty with
Russia has promised it will always stand

Besides, the current Hungarian leaders seem to be cozying up with Russian leadership, thus the relocation of the "anti-Soviet Imre Nagy" statue?

And guess what embassy is located on
Liberty Square - the US Embassy!

The United States Embassy is heavily protected

Belvárosi Piac/Downtown Market or Hold Street Market
(1892-1896) was supposed to be part of our tour, but
it is temporarily closed due to the pandemic

Postatakarék Bank/Postal Savings Bank
(1901, by Ödön Lechner in Secessionist
style) is reported to now be part of the
Hungarian State Treasury

The Hungarian State Treasury façade features
Hungarian folk art motifs, yet, unbelievably, it is the
roof that is the most colorful and beautiful!

View of the Hungarian State Treasury roof

Back to Liberty Square and a busy playground

A német megszállás áldozatainak emlékműve/Monument
to the Victims of German Occupation (2014) with an
eagle representing the Nazi invasion and occupation,
and the Archangel Gabriel representing Hungary

Again a controversial monument that seems to consider all Hungarians victims of the Nazi regime, rather than many being in collaboration and complicity with the Germans. To counter this monument that was put up overnight, the citizens have created a makeshift memorial. This civil memorial reminds peaceful pedestrians in the area of the victims of the Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy regime.

A section of the civil memorial

The Monument to the Victims of German Occupation is
fronted by Széchenyi-emlékkút interaktív szökőkút/
Szécheny Memorial Interactive Fountain

The fountain's curtain of water parts when approached

More food! A taste of salami and dried sausage at
Urban betyár/a restaurant (closed due to the pandemic)
that also was a cultural museum

Hungarians are credited with inventing the pivotal axle
for turning the front wheels of horse-drawn wagons

Traditional clothing

Musical instruments (KSS)

Ceramics

Part of a tisztaszoba/"clean room," where the traditional furniture,
clothing, embroidery, and other artisanal treasures are kept

The other part of the "clean room"

Surprise! We were to be served lunch at Első Pesti Rétesház/First Pest Strudel House. I assume this was instead of sampling Somlói Galuska/a Hungarian dessert that is like a trifle cake.

Gulyás leves/Goulash soup

Various kinds of strudel: poppy seed,
cheese with raspberry, apple, and plum

The sink in the restroom (all those items are under the glass bowl)

Next: Buda.