© 2024
NPR for Northern Colorado
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In Honor Of His 100th, Ronald Reagan To Get Statues In Budapest, London

Hungarian sculptor Istvan Mate finishes up work on his statue of late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in his workshop in the town of Csongrad, Hungary, Sunday, June 26, 2011.
Bela Szandelszky
/
AP
Hungarian sculptor Istvan Mate finishes up work on his statue of late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in his workshop in the town of Csongrad, Hungary, Sunday, June 26, 2011.

On Wednesday, Budapest, Hungary will unveil a second statue of Ronald Reagan, the nation's 40th president. As the AP reports, Reagan never visited the country, but his efforts against communism have endeared him to its citizens. The AP adds:

Less than five years after erecting a bust of America's 40th president in a park, Hungary's capital is honoring Reagan with a full statue in Freedom Square, just a couple blocks from parliament and home to the U.S. Embassy.

The bronze 2-meter (7-foot) likeness, placed on a thin block of granite, shows Reagan in mid-stride, making it seem as if he's is taking a walk in the square.

The unveiling is just one event in a series of events in Europe this week that celebrate Reagan's 100th birthday. USA Todayreports that yesterday the archbishop of Krakow in Poland said a Mass of thanksgiving; today, a special session of Hungary's parliament will honor the president; on Thursday Prague will rename a street in his honor and on July 4, London will unveil a statue of Reagan at Grosvenor Square, near the U.S. embassy.

NPR's Political Junkie Ken Rudin took a lengthy look at Reagan back in February, closer to his 100th.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.