SOCIAL CONFLICTS IN PUBLIC SPACE – THE CASE OF LIBERTY SQUARE, BUDAPEST

Abstract

Public space are crucial areas of public life: not only because they are spaces of traffic, leisure or several elements of social life, but because they are often spaces of commemoration, too. Public spaces can be sources and outcomes of shared memories, identities within society. Thus, social and cultural groups often compete each other not only for the use and control of resources, but for have more visible, more powerful symbols within space as well. This paper analyses how conflicting meanings, identities and ideologies appear in a contested public space: Liberty square in Budapest. The aim is to present the conflicts in relation to the symbolic meanings of the monuments and other object, places at the square. The research is based on the content analysis of media articles and participant observation conducted on the square from 2016 to 2017. The results of the research show that Liberty square is a highly contested space historically – and it is still a contested place nowadays.

Recently, the most significant conflicts emerged regarding the Memorial to the victims of the German occupation – which was erected in 2014. But other conflicts can also be identified – for example in relation to Soviet Heroic Memorial. Because of their vicinity, certain memorials and monuments influence the meanings of other objects with symbolic meanings – which creates a complex interrelation and discourse between monuments and other places. Other, previously important places lost most of their symbolic meanings due to political changes. Liberty square is and will be a contested public space; several conflicting ideologies, values, interests try to control and shape the symbolic spaces within the square.