Memorial to the 1956 Revolution at Budapest University of Technology and Economics
|
“The 16 points that made up the political agenda of the revolution were created at the student rally held in the assembly hall of BME on 22 October, 1956. The next day the students of BME copied and distributed this list of demands throughout the city. That same day the silent demonstration that was followed by the toppling of Stalin’s statue, the siege of the national radio’s building, and the fight for freedom, started from BME, too.” (Source: https://www.bme.hu/news/20161102/The_revolution_in_Budapest_started_at_BME?language=en)
|
A young "Lad of Pest" — statue by Lajos Győrfi commemorating the freedom fighters who fought in the 1956 Revolution at Corvin köz
A student's memorial
From an 8th-year student in Budapest: With my class we went to Szent Gellért tér to look at a building which was bombed in the 1956 Revolution. After that we walked down Műegyetem rkp. to a sculpture of a mass of young people with a woman in the middle leading them towards freedom. This memorial stands close to where the students back in 1956 began their revolutionary march at Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Here we left a white rose with a Hungarian-flag ribbon tied to it.
We then took the M4 to Rákoczi tér and walked to Corvin Mozi. There we visited a statue of a boy, who represented the young students who died fighting for their country’s freedom from communist Russia. Behind the statue were plaques with the names of the boys, the "Lads of Pest," who died protecting that area during the uprising. During the Battle of Corvin Passage, they are said to have destroyed 17 Soviet tanks in one day. Some of these fighters were as young as 13. We left a white rose at the statue and on the ground in front of the plaques, too. Than we headed back to school.
We then took the M4 to Rákoczi tér and walked to Corvin Mozi. There we visited a statue of a boy, who represented the young students who died fighting for their country’s freedom from communist Russia. Behind the statue were plaques with the names of the boys, the "Lads of Pest," who died protecting that area during the uprising. During the Battle of Corvin Passage, they are said to have destroyed 17 Soviet tanks in one day. Some of these fighters were as young as 13. We left a white rose at the statue and on the ground in front of the plaques, too. Than we headed back to school.
|
|
Although initially successful in their claim for freedom, the Soviets sent in reinforcements and ultimately defeated the freedom fighters from the air and on the ground. From November 4th to the 10th of 1956, some 4,000 Hungarians fought the 17 Soviet divisions sent in to squash the rebellion. In the end, over 2,500 Hungarians (including more than 1,500 civilians) and 700 Soviets died.
The suffering did not stop there. Over 20,000 Hungarians were put on trial and sent to prison. Numbers of those executed in the aftermath range from 200 to 450. And some 200,000 Hungarians fled the country for good. The 1986 film, Cry Hungary: A Revolution Remembered, is a chilling documentary of the days as they unfolded back in October, 1956, told by those who actually fought—and lived. It is also beautifully inspiring when they recount their initial victory. Something to watch.
Memorial to the 1956 Revolution Student Uprising at BME by Róbert Csíkszentmihályi
|
This young freedom fighter awaited his 18th birthday in prison. Only then was he old enough to be legally executed. Read more here. |
|
 |
