Commemorations were held in Budapest and other cities and towns today to mark the 57th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution and freedom fight of 1956.
In the morning, Hungary's national flag was hoisted on Heroes' Square.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér, Chief of Staff Tibor Benkő, senior public personalities and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics addressed the event in Szentgál, Western Hungary.
He said that the sacrifice of the heroes of 1956 was not in vain: the dream of freedom for the Hungarian nation and the whole of Europe came true in 1989.
Commemorations to mark the national holiday already started across the country on Tuesday.
State Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs Bence Rétvári paid honour to the revolutionaries at Budapest's Technical University.
In his address, he stressed that more and more young people are needed who have experienced freedom in a free world and are aware of the sacrifice our grandfathers and great-grandfathers made for that freedom.
He also noted that the revolution was of great significance beyond the Hungarian border, too. It opened the eye of the Western world and showed the real and inhuman face of Communism to Western people.
Anti-Communism must be something which links Central and Eastern European countries, he highlighted.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
