The proposal for the statue goes before the municipal council of the city’s 5th District, which is the central district where Szabadság tér is located. If approved, the monument will be unveiled on March 19th, the 70th anniversary of the day the Nazi German occupation began.

Public art works and monuments rarely escape controversy. Countries build monuments to remember the tragedy of the wars in their histories, and these monuments nearly always stir heated debate. The more sensitive the subject matter – and the period around World War II is certainly a sensitive subject in Hungary – the more animated the debate.

But there’s a lot of misinformation out there, so allow me to mention a few facts.

According to the plans, the monument will feature two symbolic figures. One is a black eagle that is portrayed as an aggressive nemesis and represents the occupying power, Nazi Germany. The other figure is the archangel, Gabriel, which refers to a Hungary attacked by an aggressive force.

The monument will carry only two simple inscriptions. One will read, “German occupation of Hungary, March 19, 1944.” The other one will read, “To the memory of all victims.” That’s all it will say.

We can have a debate about the aesthetics of the statue and its symbols, but the reason for the monument is plain. It’s “to the memory of all victims.” To suggest, as some have, that it’s a statue commemorating the Nazi occupation or somehow an attempt to appease the far-right is simply a distortion of the basic facts.

By Ferenc Kumin

Source: A Blog About Hungary

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