Count Andrássy’s statue inaugurated in Kossuth Square – Photos

Budapest, 2016. szeptember 13. Bíró László katolikus tábori püspök Andrássy Gyula lovas szobrának avatásán a Kossuth téren 2016. szeptember 13-án. A szobrot Zala György szobrászmûvész eredeti mûve alapján Polgár Botond, Engler András és Meszlényi János szobrászmûvészek készítették. MTI Fotó: Máthé Zoltán

Budapest, September 13 (MTI) – House Speaker László Kövér inaugurated a mounted statue of Count Gyula Andrássy, Hungary’s prime minister between 1867 and 1871, in front of Parliament in Kossuth Square on Tuesday.

The reconstructed Andrássy statue will return to its original place in its former glory, Kövér said, noting that its inauguration completes the process of restoring the pre-1944 look of Kossuth Square.

Andrassy saw politics as the art of seizable opportunities, Kövér said, adding that the emotion that motivated his policies was patriotism.

In 1866, Andrássy was elected president of a parliamentary subcommittee tasked with drawing up the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. After his four-year term as prime minister, he served as the foreign minister of Austria-Hungary until 1879.

Budapest Mayor István Tarlós said the inauguration of the statue gives Andrássy the recognition he deserves.

Parliament approved a decree on reconstructing Kossuth Square in 2011. The project began in 2013 and involved, among other things, building an underground car park, a visitor centre and a museum.