This monument was originally erected in 1968 to commemorate the 1956 uprising in Hungary...but, it has been updated with a plaque which reads:
"THE REVOLUTION TRIUMPHED
MARCH 25, 1990- FREE ELECTIONS
JUNE 19, 1991- SOVIET TROOPS DEPART"
The Smithsonian Inventory describes the Monument succinctly:
"A bronze figure of a male youth is depicted breaking through an iron curtain. His head is turned to the proper right, his arm is extended, and his proper left knee is bent. The bronze figure is affixed to the upper middle section of the front of a tall rubble cement stele. The stele features inscriptions on front and back. The stele is set on a concrete pad which has a row of metal candle holders."
This monument is found in a small park in Denver, Colorado, USA. The piece consists of a human figure draped in cloth - as would be the dead. There is a stand for burning candles at the base of the monument. The excerpted poem is from the famous Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty (
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On the reverse, the plaques read:
...We here highly resolve
that these dead shall not
have died in vain
- Lincoln
Az nem lehet, hogy annyi
szív Hiába onta vért...
Vörösmarty
[English translation]
It cannot be, that so many hearts
Uselessly spilled their blood
And in vain, so many faithful hearts
Were broken for the homeland.
[Mihály Vörösmarty 'Summons' Poem (
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[Additional Bronze Plaque]
The Revolution Triumphed
March 25, 1990 - Free Elections
June 19, 1991 - Soviet Troops Depart
Erected by the Hungarians and the Commemorating Committee of Colorado
John A. Love, Governor
Thomas G. Currigan, Mayor
Etienne C. Perenyi, Chairman
1968
"Down by Cherry Creek, there’s a statue in a small park on the south side of the street just before the intersection of Speer and Downing. That statue is a memorial for the Hungarian uprising of 1956, and it stands in the Hungarian Freedom Park.
This monument, which was the first of its kind in North America, commemorates the revolt of the Hungarian people against Soviet oppression. The park itself was once called Arlington Park, and was originally designed by Saco R. DeBoer, who also designed Alamo Placita Park on the other side of Speer.
In 1963, a group of Hungarians, including Janos Benko, formed the Hungarian Club of Colorado. The club believed there should be a memorial to honor the people who were killed during the revolt. Eight club members created a committee to petition the city of Denver.
As a result, in 1966, Arlington Park was renamed the Hungarian Freedom Park. The Hungarian Club of Colorado then started collecting money for a memorial statue. In 1971, with the help of sculptor Zoltan Popovits and Orr Construction Company, a statue was erected that remains today." (from (
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