This square was the centre for the meetings during the insurrection of October 1956. József Bem (1794-1850) is in fact a symbol for the Hungarians. An ardent defender of freedom, this General, of Polish origin, took an active part in the revolution of 1848. The great Hungarian poet, Sándor Petõfi, has rendered homage to him with some verses engraved on the pedestal of his statue, which shows him wounded, exhorting his men forward.