The guy on the horse in this case is Gyula Andrassy, a 19th century leader of the country He was the Prime Minster of Hungary from 1867 to 1871, and he shifted over to a job as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary from 1871 to 1879. Andrassy had his eye on expanding Hungary's lands to Southeast Europe, but he didn't want to anger Turkey in the process. Russia, then, was Hungary's main rival in such matters.
Those were complicated times, with a few minor wars popping up in the region. Still, Andrassy had an important role in the diplomacy of the 1870s. While he lost some of his popularity around the time he left office, he regained it in the years shortly before his death in 1890 - which was considered a national calamity. No doubt, those feelings led to the big statue in an important spot.
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