By National Széchényi Library
National Széchényi Library
During the 1956 Hungarian revolution one of the primary concerns of the people of Budapest was to remove and destroy symbols of the repressive political regime. This exhibition documents this process.
Freedom Square (1949) by FortepanNational Széchényi Library
"Dedicated to the Great Stalin by the Grateful Hungarian Nation," reads the inscription on the plinth of the sculpture, beneath the official symbol of the Hungarian People's Republic.
Freedom square (1956-10) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
When the revolution broke out on 23 October 1956 monuments representing Communist rule or Soviet influence became natural targets of public rage.
Szent Gellért Square (around 1956-10-24) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
The Soviet Union "brought salvation and liberation [...] But he could not bring freedom, because he himself did not have it" - as Hungarian writer, Sándor Márai observed in 1947. By many, Soviet military presence was seen as a threat to national sovereignty and in 1956 Soviet monuments were often damaged by protesters.
Firewall at Kálvin Square (1956) by Kurutz, Márton and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
Red Stars, especially the ones that had emerged to be iconic imprints in the cityscape in the previous years, were often removed. Such actions kept firefighters busy to the great enthusiasm of the citizens.
Call to the Government (1956-10-29)National Széchényi Library
This call addressed to the Hungarian Government and "Comrade" Imre Nagy demanded that Soviet troops should be immediately withdrawn: "After five days of terrible brotherly fight bloodshed should come to an end."
Our Russan Friends! Do Not Shoot! (1956)National Széchényi Library
"Our Russian friends! Do not shoot at us! We are not Fascists! We are not Stalinists! We want an independent democratic Hungary! Do not shoot at us! Do not shoot at workers, peasants and intellectuals!" - says this flyer prepared by "The Revolutionary Hungarian Youth". Soviet soldiers were reportedly told that they were fighting Fascist counterrevolutionaries, and flyers were distributed among them (in Russian) to counter this image.
UN Forces to Hungary? Was Not It Enough of Foreign Troops? (1956)National Széchényi Library
Hungarian public opinion placed great trust in the United Nations, and it was widely expected that the UN will send troops or, at least, observers to the country. This flyer prepared by the University Revolutionary Committee, however, suggests that the UN would be just as an occupying force as the Soviet Union. There should be "Only Hungarian Soldiers on Hungarian Soil" - they proclaimed, and believed that the UN should support Hungary in economic terms instead.
Gellért Hill (1956-10-29) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
It took quite an effort to pull it down. Hungarian soldiers and civilians collaborated in the process.
Gellért Hill (1956-10) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
The destruction of the statue started with huge hammers right after it was pulled down.
Gellért Hill (1956-10) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
Soldiers climed up on the plinth and planted Hungarian national banners where the bronze soldier had stood before.
Removing the State Emblem from the Soviet War Memorial, Szabadság Square (1956-10) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
In 1956, the red star was removed from its top, just as the state eblem of the Soviet Union from its front side.
People Celebrating the Removal of the State Emblem from the Soviet War Memorial, Szabadság Square (1956-10) by Nagy, Gyula and FortepanNational Széchényi Library
A cheerful crowd celebrates the removal of the totalitarian symbols.
This video shows and narrates how totalitarian symbols were pulled down or damaged.
Tap to explore
The most significant statues from the State Socialist era that survived are to be found at the memorial site called Memento Park in the outskirts of today's Budapest. But it was not always like that. In 1956, Communist monuments were defining features of the urban landscape.
This exhibition and videos were created by the working group of the "Hungary 1956" digital humanities project at National Széchényi Library in collaboration with Google.
The Project (to be launched on 23 October 2016) is about creating a georeferenced online living archive of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution with a particular emphasis on its visual heritage (films and photos) by making advantage of GoogleMaps.
Creators would like to thank the MANDA Archive (http://mandarchiv.hu/), Fortepan (www.fortepan.hu), and the 1956 Institute (now integrated into the National Széchényi Library, see www.rev.hu) for supporting the Project. Their materials are used in these exhibitions and videos.
