Roosevelt Tér

Named in 1947 after the long-serving (1933–45) American president, Roosevelt tér sits at the foot of Chain Bridge and offers among the best views of Castle Hill in Pest. On the southern end of the square is a statue of Ferenc Deák, the Hungarian minister largely responsible for the Compromise of 1867, which brought about the Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary. The statue on the western side is of an Austrian and a Hungarian child holding hands in peaceful bliss. The Magyar kid’s hair is tousled and he is naked; the Osztrák is demurely covered by a bit of the patrician’s robe and his hair neatly coifed. The art nouveau building with the gold tiles to the east is the Gresham Palace, built by an English insurance company in 1907. It now houses the sumptuous Four Seasons Gresham Palace Hotel. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences, founded by Count István Széchenyi, is at the northern end of the square.