Her iconic figure is familiar to all of us. Looking up from many points in the city, her figure appears on the horizon. Her prominent position does not only stem from her geographical height, we all look upon her as a dear acquaintance. The lady who watches over Budapest from above and stands as a memorial to the victims of freedom and peace.
The Statue of Liberty on Gellért Hill is one of the symbols of Budapest, a female figure holding a palm branch (a symbol of victory and peace) in her raised hand, a work by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl completed in 1947.
The original composition, which included several smaller statues, was officially called the Liberation Monument; it was erected in memory of the Soviet army's military feat of expelling the German army from Budapest. After the fall of the socialist system and the reassessment of the Soviet liberation, the sculpture complex was slightly modified and references to the Soviets, such as the 4-meter-high statue of a Soviet soldier standing in the foreground of the statue, were removed. The inscription on the pedestal of the statue was also changed, giving a new interpretation to one of Budapest's most spectacular landmarks. The female figure symbolizing freedom soon became one of the most important symbols of the city after its erection.
The statue itself is 14 meters high, which, together with its pedestal, rises 40 meters above the 139-meter-high Gellért Hill. The monument, located at the southeastern bastion of the Citadel, is clearly visible from many points in the capital.
After the change of regime, several political parties and civil society organizations initiated the removal of the statue group. A debate broke out about the fate of the main figure: neither demolition nor leaving it unchanged seemed like a good solution. The initiative to demolish it met with significant resistance from the population, as the monument's peaceful and pleasant appearance had become a symbol of Budapest in 45 years, which the population and tourists were happy to visit.
The sculpture group could only be saved by appropriate transformation and “filling” with new content, by reframing it. Its survival was partly due to a performance symbolizing compromise, the “Soul of Freedom Statue Project” by artist Tamás St. Auby, which provoked great controversy: in June 1992, on the day of farewell in Budapest (the celebration of the withdrawal of Soviet troops), the monument was covered with parachute silk, so that for a few days it took on a “ghost costume”, symbolizing the specter of communism.
The city ultimately decided to stay, and the statue's pedestal was given a new inscription, reinterpreting its symbolism: "In memory of all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary."
Interestingly, in 1980, a scaled-down replica of the Statue of Liberty was among the objects that the first Hungarian astronaut, Bertalan Farkas, took into space as a symbol.
This icon is the central or supporting character in many of my drawings. I particularly like the elegant silhouette and the position above the city, which makes this symbol of Budapest important to me, but I am not alone in this. Even without its luxurious appearance, the Statue of Liberty is one of the jewels of the city for me.
