Moscow Square
Encyclopedia
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. It is one of the city's busiest transport interchanges (comparable to Móricz Zsigmond körtér
Móricz Zsigmond körtér
Móricz Zsigmond körtér is a square in Budapest, Hungary.It is a center of south Buda and it is noted for the egg-looking heated stones erected in 2004....
farther south), which is served by a station
Moszkva tér (Budapest Metro)
Széll Kálmán tér is a station on the M2 line of the Budapest Metro. It is located under Széll Kálmán Square in Buda. Currently it is the deepest station of the Budapest Metro. Near the station, there are several tram and bus terminus ....
on Metro line 2
Line 2 (Budapest Metro)
The Metro 2 is the second line of Budapest Metro. It connects the western Déli pályaudvar, and the eastern Örs vezér tere. Daily ridership: 451,627.-History:...
, tram lines 4, 6, 18, 41, 59, 59A, 61 and bus lines 5, 16, 16A, 22, 22E, 39, 90, 90A, 91, 102, 116, 128, 149, 155, 156, 190, 222, 256.
Several buses head for the popular tourist destinations of the Buda hills so this square (with the classic, old clock above it) is a common meeting place for those going on excursions. It can be considered the centre of Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
, because of its traffic and the several stores around it, including Mammut, a huge mall. Buda Castle
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
is easily accessible from here, either on foot or by bus lines 16, 16A or 116.
History
The originally anonymous area became Széll Kálmán tér (Széll Kálmán Square) in 1929, named after the Hungarian prime minister Kálmán SzéllKálmán Széll
Kálmán Széll de Duka et Szentgyörgyvölgy was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1899 to 1903.-Political career:...
. Following the Soviet occupation and the Communist takeover in the country, the square was renamed to Moszkva tér in 1951, under the Rákosi regime. Following the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, it was debated whether it should be renamed again to the original Széll Kálmán, but ultimately the name remained.
During the first part of the 1956 revolution Soviet troops (who at the time were stationed in the western part of the country, near Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
) tried to capture the city, attacking towards this square. This first attempt was unsuccessful and the country was free until the November 1956 Soviet invasion.
On March 26, 2011, the City Council of Budapest, restored the original name of the square, Széll Kálmán tér.
In 2011, a renovation of the square is planned, with a budget of three billion forints.