Moscow Square

Moszkva tér ("Moscow Square") is a square in Budapest and a station of the M2 (East-West) line of the Budapest Metro.

It is one of the city's busiest transport interchanges (comparable to Móricz Zsigmond körtér farther south), serving 15 bus routes and 7 tram routes during the day, and 6 night bus routes. Several buses head for the popular tourist destinations of the Buda hills so this square (with the classic, old clock above it) is a common meeting place for those going on excursions. It can be considered the centre of Buda, because of its traffic and the several stores around it, including Mammut, a huge mall. Buda Castle is easily accessible from here, either on foot or by the Várbusz ('Castle Bus').

History

The originally anonym area become Széll Kálmán tér ("Széll Kálmán Square") between the two World Wars, named after a Hungarian prime minister. Following Soviet occupation and the Communist takeover in the country, the square was renamed as Moszkva tér in 1951. Following the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, it was debated whether the it should be renamed again to the original Széll Kálmán, but ultimately the name remained.

During the first part of the 1956 revolution Soviet troops (who at the time were stationed in the western part of the country, near Székesfehérvár tried to capture the city going from this square. This first attempt was unsuccessful and the country was free until the November 1956 Soviet invasion.