1956 Memorial: Passaic, New Jersey

In the heart of Veteran Memorial Park, located in Passaic, New Jersey, passersby may encounter a statue in remembrance of Hungary’s 1956 Freedom Fighters. The town, having a historically large Hungarian-American population initiated the erection of the statue in 1986. Passaic, NJ has been a long-time center for Hungarian-Americans, home to a Hungarian school, two Hungarian churches, and various other organizations.

Various members of the town council at the time were Hungarian and thus bolstered support for the establishment of a memorial. By After proposing the idea in 1986, by October 25th 1987, the statue was already completed. Csaba Kur, a Hungarian-born architect, planned the memorial in Passaic.

He began his studies in Hungary, continued on to Germany, and then ended up in Ohio, in the US. Along with this memorial in Passaic, he was also the architect behind a statue in memory of Kossuth Lajos in Washington D.C. Passaic’s 1956 statue cost around 80,000 USD to make; it’s made of bronze while the platform is of granite. Its construction was planned and executed by the Hungarian Freedom Fighter Memorial Council.

On the day of its public initiation, October 25th 1987, thousands of Hungarians and various government representatives gathered for the occasion. Every year, Hungarians from the surrounding area gather on the occasion of national Hungarian holidays at this spot.

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