Budapest, Hungary: Heroes' Square

There are four squares in Budapest named for Heroes. This is the original one, and the big one. 

The centerpiece of the area is the Millennium Memorial, which dates back to 1896. Hungary wanted to celebrate its 1,000th birthday that year, as the country of Hungary was founded in 896. It's interesting that at the time of the party, this land was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - one of the great powers of the time in Europe. So the final five spaces were left open to honor Habsburg leaders. But when the monument was damaged in World War II, it was rebuilt without the Habsburgs. 

In the front and middle is the Memorial Stone of Heroes, which is dedicated to those who gave their lives for the cause of independence. Some call it the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Hungarian edition, but that is wrong. This monument went up in 1929, but the Communists ordered it removed in 1951. The structure was rebuilt in 1956. It remains inside a fence to keep visitors out. 

And in the middle, in the form of a big, long column, is a statue of the angel Gabriel. At the base of the column is a monument honoring the seven Magyar chieftains who led the Hungarians into the Carpathian basin in the war of independence.