The Széna Square Memorial Park in the 2nd district, on the site of the former Volánbus station, has been completed, with more than 7,000 square meters renovated.
According to the local government, in addition to creating as much green space as possible, the aim was to maintain the main pedestrian and cycling routes, to improve accessibility, and to install bicycle storage, new street lighting and surveillance systems, and a public Wi-Fi system.
New public spaces include an installation reminiscent of the city wall, a water feature, more street furniture and more aesthetic ventilation in the metro. The water feature is illuminated in national colors from 10:23 a.m. to 11:04 a.m. and from 7:56 p.m. (or 19:56 in honor of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution) for 13 minutes.
The Széna Square Memorial Park is home to two statues: the statue of Hanna Szenes by Zsófia Fáskerti and the 1956 memorial by the Hatdé artist group.
The square also features three kronoscopes, which allow you to look back in time from specific points in the square, and Fortepan photographs showing how the square looked in the 1930s, during the siege of 1945, and during the revolution in 1956.
Four poems form a maze of memories are displayed on uniquely designed paving stones: Géza Bereményi’s “Széna tér”; János Térey’s “The Practice of Urban Warfare”; Sándor Márai’s “The Angel from Heaven”; and Hanna Szenes’ “To Die.”
Sixty-eight trees have been planted on the renewed Széna Square, and the archaeological remains of the old St. John’s Hospital found during the construction work will be exhibited on the site, based on the concept of architect Tamás Dévényi, the local goverment said.
