One of the city’s main landmarks and the gateway to the City Park or Városliget, Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere) bookends elegant Andrássy út. Construction began in 1896, when citywide developments marked the millennial celebrations of the foundation of the Hungarian state. Two colonnades display 14 emblematic figures from Hungarian history, and form a semi-circle around the centrepiece column, which itself is surrounded by the seven original Magyar chieftains and topped by the Archangel Gabriel. Flanking each side of the square are two major cultural institutions: the Museum of Fine Arts, completely revamped and reopened in 2018, and the Kunsthalle, home of temporary exhibitions of, mainly, contemporary art. The square provides an ornate showcase to large-scale public events and celebrations – the Nemzeti Vágta (National Gallop) display of Hungarian horsemanship has been held here since 2008.
