New Ronald Reagan Statue to Be Unveiled in Hungary
- Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:38am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Ronald Reagan never visited Hungary, but his efforts to end communism endeared him to many Hungarians – and now have earned him his second statue in Budapest.
The new statue. (Photo: AP)
Less than five years after erecting a bust of America’s 40th president in a park, Hungary’s capital is honoring Reagan with a full statue in Freedom Square, just a couple blocks from parliament and home to the U.S. Embassy.
The bronze 2-meter (7-foot) likeness, placed on a thin block of granite, shows Reagan in mid-stride, making it seem as if he’s is taking a walk in the square.
“The statue is meant to reflect the ease he had in connecting with people and his close relationship with them,” sculptor Istvan Mate told The Associated Press as he put the finishing touches on the statue in his workshop in Csongrad, a small town 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Budapest.
Mate modeled his statue on a series photographs and has depicted Reagan wearing a suit and moccasins. His hands are open so people will be able to pretend they are locked in a handshake with the former actor and California governor.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently wrote about Reagan’s “undying merits” in the liberation of Europe from Soviet dictatorship.
“In the 1980s, he gave us hope that despite the difficulties we should persist in the struggle for freedom and independence,” Orban wrote in the foreword to a book about the U.S. president.
The new statue will be unveiled Wednesday by Orban and numerous dignitaries from the United States, including former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Ed Meese, attorney general during the Reagan administration.
The event is part of a series of commemorations of the 100th anniversary of Reagan’s birth being held across Europe – including a memorial mass Monday in Krakow, Poland, and the renaming of a street after Reagan in Prague, the Czech capital.
Mate has more than 140 works on display around Hungary – many of them done in collaboration with his wife, Gyorgyi Lantos – but the Reagan statue will be his first in Budapest.
Mate had to work fast to meet his deadline, first preparing a mold from a clay model sculpted around a metal core, then casting seven separate bronze pieces weighing a total of 180 kilograms (400 pounds) and welding them together.
“It was a big challenge to prepare a statue of the president of the United States, the world’s leading power,” Mate said. “It will be a relief to finally see it in its place.”
Reagan’s statue is being placed on Freedom Square near a more disputed landmark, a 1945 memorial to Soviet soldiers killed during the ouster of the Nazis at the end of World War II.
Many Hungarians see it as a reminder of Soviet rule and would like to have the 15-meter-high (50 feet) obelisk moved to a less prominent location.
Marton Baranyi, the co-creator of a Hungarian website dedicated to Reagan, says the new sculpture’s proximity could change how the Soviet memorial is perceived.
“Reagan will be like David walking past Goliath,” said Baranyi, a 24-year-old journalist and sociology student. “The place will have a new meaning and a new atmosphere.”
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Comments (63)
Stone Cold Truth
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:28pmZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:20pm
“Long live the “Gipper”…..”
Actually, he’s decomposing.
As will you be someday. The difference is nobody on Earth will care when you’re dead. Maybe George Soros, but I doubt it. Trolls are expendable.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:09pmBravo for Hungary. Let’s get them to make us a riplica and place it in the oval office of the White House, impeach Obama and Biteme and let the statue rule, leadership off of Reagan’s memory would be better than what we now have.
Report Post »Michael600r
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:08pmI guess I’ll have to finish learning my Hungarian and head on over there.
Report Post »OneBadAssMistakeAmerica
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:05pmyeah good for hungary where are you know reagan when we need you most.
Report Post »SanMoo
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:40pmLook up Dhimmitude at Snopes.com and see what this word means and how it will impact your life. It is on page 107 of the Health Care Bill……very disturbing and this was a planned change to pay back a certain group of people. WOW–I was shocked……:(
Report Post »Michael600r
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:35pm“Oh, Mr. Bunker. If only you had been able to help change Ronnie‘s Depends after he’d p!ssed himself. It would have been your proudest moment.
LOL! (I laugh in your face.)”
Zombie, you are a sad and pathetic person.
Report Post »auntmoxie.com
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:09pmLove it. This is the “hope and change” I like to see.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:46pm“he gave us hope”
The audacity…
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:39pmHungary knows the truth!
Report Post »ALLWOODTKR
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:36pmPresident Reagan is my hero. I will be surprised if this story gets covered here in the US.
Report Post »imwrightkat
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:34pmSo nice to find something good in the news. Each day it is harder to find anything uplifting. God bless Hungary. The people who lived it get it!
Report Post »Navyveteran
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:30pmYeah I miss ole Ronnie myself. I enlisted in the Navy while he was president. I loved his speeches, very funny, he had a way with messing with the media. Our last true American President Ronald Reagan. Yes he made mistakes but he brought pride back into this country and pulled her out of a deep recession brought forth by Jimmy Carter. And he never blamed Carter, unlike another president I know.
Report Post »CulperGang
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:27pmHungary has been going “right” in politics since they threw out the communist. The fall of communism was a direct RESULT of Hungarian army opening the borders to East Germans fleeing from Germany and the Hungarian government refusing to send them back. Then from then on it was clear that the Hungarian government was no longer adhering to Moscow. The Hungarian people are THE unsung heroes of the fall of communism in Europe. Listen to their National anthem it is an“ Ode to God” with absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful lyrics. The Hungarian National Anthem with English subtitles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cisX40UmfIY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3YUfyrJdwo
THIS NATION IS WORTHY TO LEAD THE 21st CENTURY. Although it is strating to be infested with Corpotocracy$$$$$$$$ from the West and the EU………I hope they stay don’t fall to it like the rest of Europe. THEY DON’T HAVE MOSLEM INFESTATION YET!!!! I don’t think they will either, they see the end result. Budapest is beautiful. A must for any vacation destination.
Report Post »calebgs83
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:46amEastern Europe gets it.
Report Post »autumnsmommie
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:31pmWhy can we not see the greatness in Reagan as a coutnry?I remember watching the special on the Anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, one thing everybody forgot on the liberal media was the fact that it was reagan who pledged to ‘tear down this wall”. I glad to see history being perserved in truth. Good job Hungria.
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:32pm@Autumnsmommy
The decent people see the greatness of Reagan and this country.
It‘s the vermin on the left like Zombie that don’t.
Report Post »calebgs83
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:42amGod Bless You Hungary!
Report Post »Oh My God
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:38amThe good will rise and the evil will be outted for what they stand for. Thank you Hungary. Truth above all.
God Bless the USA and Israel.
Report Post »shukov
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:29amPoor Americans, they really believe that they are forever doomed to electing doofuses like the present one, oh that the conservatives would get behind a true patriot, then sit back and watch this great nation of America build him/her a statue. IRONLADY 2012 (Michele)
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:18amAnd THIS my friends is what the free World truly thinks of us! Despite Obama’ wishes!
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:02amThank you Hungary!
Report Post »jdavis1848
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:55amRonaldus Maximus is the king!!!!
Report Post »Lone Ranger
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:49amDo I REALLY have to turn down my speakers every time I visit the Blaze???
I wonder how long it will take before that statue is vandalized. Olbermann might make the trip himself.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 7:27pmI don’t think they have black panthers
Report Post »NeverSurrender
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:46amAND Obummer got a nobel peace prize while President Reagan was laughed at…..interesting how history works out in the end, huh?
Report Post »FREDD The WILSON
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:12amI sure have missed him the last 21 years
Report Post »NJTMATO
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:52am@ Fredd
Report Post »I’m with you there! Sometimes I take out my Ronald Reagan diaries book and just read a bit to make myself feel better:-) At least I knew that he believed in America, was proud to be her President and would protect us and remind us that We are The People and our Republic was an amazing occurrance that we have sustained through many troubles, but BECAUSE we are American, we could survive and live well. Unfortunately, it seems very far away now.
VRW Conspirator
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 3:39pmno..they gave the Nobel Peace Prize to Gorbi instead…like he did a damn thing…it was Reagan, Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II….Poland loves them…Hungry loves them…most of south eastern Europe loves them….
here in America…their names are hisses through clenched teeth by those getting rich off their legacy and using that wealth to destroy that legacy…
Zombie and those like him simply notify us all how far we have fallen in the last 22 years…but what can you expect from those like Zombie…most of them are publically educated useful idiots that if lucky were 4 or 5 years old when Reagan left office…they grew up with the economic strength of Reaganomics…their parents grew fat on it…all the while teaching their spawn how evil it was or that it was all Clinton’s doing..(too bad that Clinton left us with a recession started in early 2000 and didn’t end until early 2002 -after the Bush tax cuts went into effect)
Report Post »Revere1
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:44amSomehow I doubt Hungary would ever build a statute to honor Clinton or Obama.
Report Post »Fly Old Glory 24/7 365
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:42amthey get it and we elect a man like Obama….shoot me…
Report Post »Banshee34
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:01amExactly. But … BO was elected by the uneducated (their choice) Have Nots!
Report Post »lemmings4obama
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:02amThe progressives haven’t brainwashed these folks yet, and the wounds are still too fresh for them to do so. I have a good friend from Budapest who works for EXXON/MOBILE, that’s right, and his parents lost all their land to communism. They had to start over opening conveinance stores when Hungary rebuilt itself after communism. They are doing well again because they are ENTREPRENUERS, but have had to completely rebuild from scratch. They are a great people though that have endured much. This article fills my heart with joy, atleast there is some place in the world besides the US and Israel that understand the difference between Freedom and Communism.
Report Post »ZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:56am“Shoot me.”
Where do you live?
Report Post »Fly Old Glory 24/7 365
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:28pmhey Zombie, good to see ya here. I always appreciate when you show up cause it only reinforces my beliefs and I am sure it only emboldens others to strengthen theirs. You are a gift from God to those of us on the right so thank you for your daily display of ignorance….
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:19pmFLY OLD GLORY 24/7 365
Report Post »Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:28pm
hey Zombie, good to see ya here. I always appreciate when you show up cause it only reinforces my beliefs and I am sure it only emboldens others to strengthen theirs. You are a gift from God to those of us on the right so thank you for your daily display of ignorance….
____________________________________________________________
AMEN .
I.Gaspar
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:41amNot likely we’ll see an obama statue anywhere west of mecca.
Report Post »ILUVAMERICA
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:46amHOORAY for Hungary!!!
Report Post »Please Read!! This info tells how ‘O’mam is going to take over the COUNTRY!!!
Why the “Balanced Budget Amendment” is a Hoax – and a Deadly Trap!!!
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/37954
Gonzo
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 10:47amCuba maybe.
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:04amTHOSE IN HUNGARY KNOW A GOOD PRESIDENT WHEN THEY SEE HIM
He was listed by AmPa as an American Hero ( http://www.americanparchment.com/hero/ronald_reagan.html ), it is great to see that so many other countries recognize his greatness as well.
Or maybe they are praising him in spite of Obama. That would definately make a statement because Obama is no Reagan.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:05amSurprised there isn’t already one in San Francisco.
150 feet high, too.
Of course, all the ‘flying rats’ there will cover it in a ‘protective’ coating of ‘pigeon-guano.’
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:11amCan we get a duplicate in the oval office? About 5 feet from Obama’s desk…and facing it would be good. This way, when he looks up from his paperwork for guidance…he can see “Dutch” instead of allah.
Report Post »ozchambers
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 11:46amI have a good friend (who traveled with me to the 9/12 march on DC) whose wife is Hungarian and she and many in Hungary are embracing their freedom and recognize the legacy of Reagan.
sidenote: Ronnie wore moccasins??
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:27pmRonald Reagan with full blown dementia would be better than Obama, ZOMBIE you classless troll.
Report Post »MONICNE
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 12:35pmWhat the world needs now, is…
Report Post »Love sweet love…
Lord we don’t need another statue, we have bridges and airports and street signs…
Disnylv
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:03pmOh heck no only his mug shot for selling off america
Report Post »Jaycen
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:26pmIt’s so ridiculous that Europe is waking up, and we’re trying to put our people to sleep.
If Obama was ACTUALLY like Reagan, Europeans would respect.
Report Post »ISRAELISOURFRIEND
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:33pmAt least someone out there gets it. We are the last shining light on the hill, soon to be controlled by satanic powers and spread all over the globe, until Christ returns and claims HIS church saves Israel and her people as foretold by the prophets.
To all the Atheists who do NOT SEE the truth, who are waiting for EVIDENCE, it is in God‘s time and NOT your scientists who will REVEAL GOD’s REALITY! For God is big enough to do that on HIS own, on HIS time, and HIS way. You may study rocks and know many things about weird things and never know the ROCK OF AGES.
You want EVIDENCE? Read and I dare you to attempt to UNDERSTAND the PROPHETS, the SCRIPTURES, the PROPHESIES and the WISDOM in GODS WAYS and you will find all the EVIDENCE you need as you watch your LIBERAL news, you will see the PROPHESY being fulfilled right before YOUR EYES. God will REVEAL to everyone HE is who HE claimed to be.
HE will destroy the nations who come against ISRAEL and HE will avenge for every JEW that was MURDERED!
After wrestling with God, Jacob is renamed “Israel.” His descendants would go on to become a mighty nation blessed by God. Their story is told throughout the Old Testament.
You can not intimidate the FAITH of CHRISTIANS, what faith carries you through fear for I have no fear because I have the LORD! Who do you have, for you don’t even know HOPE!
Report Post »Joshua7
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 1:36pmGood for you, Hungry!
Report Post »cemerius
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:09pmLong live the “Gipper”…..
Report Post »ZOMBIE JESUS LOVES ME
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 2:20pm“Long live the “Gipper”…..”
Actually, he’s decomposing.
Sound The Trumpet In Zion
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 4:10pmThis is terrific and goes to show everyone that capitalism does work and work very well. And I.gaspar, I agree with you in part. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a statue of obama in Iran, in Gaza, in West Bank and whereever his muslim terrorist brothers gather.
Report Post »Parkeralan
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 4:42pmIt is telling that Countries that lived under the odeous yoke of communism revere Reagan as the great man that he was. All the while the leftist cry babies in this country hated him, never appreciating a freedom never won. I sure do miss Ronald Wilson Reagan.
Report Post »avenger
Posted on June 28, 2011 at 6:28pmnot even in harlem…
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