Discovering Communism by Remembering Communism

I'm still in Budapest and a little frustrated at this point, but instead of touching on that, I'm giving you a post through pictures of Memento Park in the outskirts of Budapest



Communism: something US natives know nothing about... good idea, but it never works...

Because I know very little about communism, I decided that something I really SHOULD see before I leave Budapest is the part with all the old Communist statues and mementos. One beautiful Monday afternoon, we did just that. Enjoy learning through my lesson.



The Red Star that represented Communism - The Pentagram is said to represent the five fingers on a worker's (the center of socialism) hand.


Many of the statues were dedicated to just normal people because the real heroes of Communism are the common blue collar workers. Many of the following have no real faces or description because of it - they were meant to encourage the public to picture themselves as the heroes.




This a memorial to Béla Kun, a Hungarian Communist Revolutionary.
Random fact: when this was still standing, it was called Béla Motel by the local homeless people because it made a great rain shelter :)


this plaque was funny to me. Some guy worked in a factory. :)


This is a Martyr's Memorial - not sure what the complete story is, but it looks like half-man, half-ape... weird.


Kristin (an American English teacher in Újszász, Hungary) and I used our amazing Hungarian skills to translate this plaque: "Thank you for freeing up our time so we can play badminton."
I'm fairly certain that's not REALLY what it says, but that's as close as I can get you :P did I mention that we went through the park without a guide or booklet or anything?


This is the Buda Volunteer Regiment Memorial - it kinda speaks for itself, and yet I have no further intelligent insight to give you.


This is Capt. Miklós Steinmetz. He is the one that ordered the ultimatum during the Battle of Budapest - Hungarians and Germans surrender to the Soviet Army or they'll eat all your gulyás and páprika... or something like that.


Pioneers:
a) what some people refer to our Wednesday night program as (it's "Explorers") at Home Acres Church in Kentwood, Michigan
b) the children organization operated by the Communist party, with headquarters in Budapest.
thank goodness we're out of the "Red Scare" of my home church would be in a little trouble :P



The Republic of Councils Monument... or as Hungarians refer to it: "Miss, you dropped your kerchief!"




The Hungarian Fighters in the Spanish International Brigades Memorial


The Workers' Movement Memorial


This is the Liberation Monument (not to be confused with the Hungarian Statue of Liberty which currently stands over Budapest)


Stalin's boots. A giant Stalin once stood in Budapest's city park. On October 23rd, 1956, the beginning date of the Hungarian (failed) Revolution against the Soviets, this statue was sawed at the knees. Crowds were there to witness this giant dictator brought down. The boots themselves are taller than me, so you can understand just how big the actual statue was (8 meters).