Heroes Square is in the heart of every Hungarian

Heroes Square is a place that thrills the heart of each and every Hungarian. In the center of the square is the monument celebrating the Millennium of the arrival of the Magyar people, built for the occasion of the thousand-year anniversary of the Hungarian state. Perched atop the tall column we see the statue of the Archangel Gabriel on a terrestial globe, wearing the crown of King Istvan and holding the cross of the apostles. According to legend, it is the angel Gabriel who inspired the king Saint Istvan with the idea of converting the Kingdom of Hungary to Christianity, and that is the meaning of this statue, which won the grand prize of the World Expo in Paris at the turn of the century. On the base, supporting the column, we can see a troop of horsemen. This is the Grand Prince Arpad and six other leaders who led the seven Magyar tribes who arrived in Transylvania in 896, before taking control of Pannonia and the territories now comprising eastern Austria and southern Slovakia. Two rows of half-columns are aligned beside the main columns; there we see the monuments dedicated to the heroes of Hungary. In the spaces between the columns, we can admire the statues of Hungarian kings, and of important heads of state and royalty. Looking up, we can also see another colonnade, which represents allegorical figures representing Labour, Prosperity, War and Peace, and Science and Glory. Near the central column, there is a stone slab. That is the memorial to the Hungarian soldiers killed during the two world wars. The inscription reads: "In memory of the heroes who died for freedom and for the national independence of our people." On the sides of the square, we see two impressive buildings: the Museum of Fine Arts on the left and the Art Gallery on the right.