This monument can be seen from almost any point in Budapest. The enormous statue stands on the top of Gellert Hill and, thanks to its illumination, is clearly visible even at night. It is 14 meters high, and together with the pedestal reaches all 40! The sculptor depicted Freedom as a woman holding a palm branch in her hands. They also say that at first she was holding an airplane propeller, because that was what Admiral Miklós Horthy, who ruled Hungary until 1944, wanted. His son was a pilot and was killed in action during World War II.
The official version, however, says that the monument was erected in 1947 in honor of Hungary's liberation from the fascists. Originally, it was called the “Liberation Monument.” Next to it there was also a bronze monument to a Soviet soldier, a red star, and a list of 164 fighters who died while liberating Budapest.
But, like most countries of Eastern Europe, Hungary soon after the end of the war began actively “erasing” all traces of its communist past. Thus the bronze monument to the soldier disappeared, along with it the names of the fallen heroes vanished, and the red star was removed as well. The “Liberation Monument” remained, but it was renamed, and now it is the “Liberty Statue.”
