Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation

The Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation is a monument created in memory of the German invasion of Hungary, located in Budapest's Liberty Square. The memorial has sparked controversy and angered Jewish community organizations, with critics alleging that the monument absolves the Hungarian state and Hungarians of their collaboration with Nazi Germany and complicity in the Holocaust.[1][2]

The memorial

Dedication

First announced in late 2013 and approved in a closed cabinet session on New Year's Eve of 2013, the memorial was built on the night of July 20/21, 2014.[3]

Description

The memorial features a stone statue of the Archangel Gabriel, a national symbol of Hungary, being attacked by an eagle with extended claws that resembles the German coat of arms, the eagle representing the Nazi invasion and occupation of Hungary in March, 1944. The date "1944" in on the eagle's ankle. The inscription at the base of the monument reads "In memory of the victims."[4]

References
  1. "Controversial monument divides Hungarians, angers Jewish community". EURACTIV. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  2. "Hungary's World War II memorial under fire". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  3. "Erect a memorial – erase the past. The Memorial to the victims of the German occupation in Budapest and the controversy around it". EUSTORY. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  4. "Statue in Budapest based on Second World War evokes dark history". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
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