The Hungarian Revolution Memorial
The Hungarian Freedom Memorial in Boston is located in Liberty Square Park downtown, honoring the heroes and victims of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Created by sculptor Gyuri Hollósy and commissioned by the Hungarian Society of Massachusetts, the 16-foot bronze and granite monument was dedicated on October 23, 1986, marking the 30th anniversary of the uprising. The dramatic sculpture depicts a mound of rubble with student heads, a kneeling woman holding a baby aloft, and a fallen soldier clutching the revolutionary Hungarian flag. The base of the monument features an inscription with a quote from President John F. Kennedy praising the courage of the Hungarian people. Every October, the local Hungarian-American community gathers at this site for an annual commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony.
TO COMMEMORATE THOSE WHO NEVER SURRENDERED,
HUNGARY October 1956,
"October 23, 1956, is a day that will live forever in the annals of free men and nations. It was a day of courage, conscience and triumph. No other day since history began has shown more clearly the eternal unquenchability of man's desire to be free, whatever the odds against success, whatever the sacrifice required." John F. Kennedy on the first anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution
Stories about this memorial
For the first time in my life, I truly felt homesick when, while walking through the streets of Boston, I suddenly came across this monument to the 1956 Revolution. Tears welled up in my eyes.
Lisztes Eszter · October 2026
We discovered the memorial in Boston during our vacation in 2024. It was particularly moving and uplifting to read the words about revolution spoken in 1957 by John F. Kennedy, who later became president.
Kolozs András · October 2026