Liberty Statue, Budapest

This monument was originally erected in 1947 to honor the Red Army soldiers who died during the 1944-1945 WW2 battle for Budapest. The statues were a palm-leaf holding female symbol of liberation (which some locals call "the bottle opener") in the center flanked by several Red Army soldiers, a dragon slayer, and a torch bearer. Our guide told us that in 1992 the Hungarians covered the bronze statues for three days. At the ceremony for uncovering them, the monument was rededicated to all persons who had sacrificed for Hungary. Interesting story how the Hungarians were able to repurpose a Soviet monument for a similar function instead of destroying it. For this reason it might be the only former Soviet monument still installed at the original placement in Hungary. There is one alteration as the Red Army soldier statues were transferred to Memento Park outside Budapest in 1992. Instead of destroying them, Memento Park is a collection of the Soviet-inspired communist-era socialist realism monuments (Lenin, Marx, Engels, happy workers, etc.) from around Hungary which were removed from their original settings after the Russian army left in 1991. At the Liberty Statue the center element of this impressive monument is 46 m (151 feet) tall making it difficult to back up far enough to photograph all three statues before running into the fence around the hill slope.

Nice view, it’s a climb well worth it. Look out for scam artists on top of the citadel. One is sitting on a bench playing a “cups and ball” game while 4 are taking turns and pretend to “play” the game with 50/100 Euro. I looked for 5 min and saw tourists being scammed in this old trick.

You get an amazing view of the city. It's a good 25 minutes to climb to the top, well worth the effort. The Liberty Statue or Freedom Statue is a monument on the Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary. It commemorates those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.

Hands down the best view of the city. Come here on a clear day at sunset and be amazed

This statue was erected by the Communists to commemorate liberating Hungary from Nazi Germany. Later, when the Hungarian government was taking down Communist statues, the people petitioned the mayor to keep this one because they loved it so much. Now it is a neat place to enjoy the view of both. Buda and Pest. Worth the hike up, but bring your own water and snacks as the stands on the top which sell food and souvenirs are expensive.