Radó Dezső: Parks and Forests - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)

March 15 square

The square is divided by the Elizabeth Bridge. As to its origins, it has been an important river crossing since ancient times. In 294 the fortification of Contra-Aquin- cum was built by Emperor Diocletianus in order to defend the “limes” border running on the opposite bank. The unearthed remains of this fortification can be visited on the north side of the square in a modern architectural setting. István Tar’s fountain-statue symbolizing the struggle of the Romans against the barbarians was erected nearby in 1964. György Zala’s bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth stood here from 1932 until the end of the World War II. It is now restored on the Buda bank. The square, as the ferry terminal of Pest, played an important role in the formation of the city’s layout and road network. In the middle of the 19th century a busy marketplace was located here. A layout similar to today’s square was formed by the opening of the Elizabeth Bridge in 1903. The now familiar look is the result of the rebuilding of Elizabeth Bridge which was completed in 1964. The square was known as Church Square in 1872. Later in 1874 it was renamed as Oath Square, since Franz Joseph I took his coronation oath here. The square took its present name on the centennial of the Hungarian revolution of March 15, 1848. The remains of Contra-Aquincum and the Inner City Parish Church are protected as architectural monuments.

The 6435 m2 square is dominated by the open-air museum situated in a recess below surface level. The ornamentation of the ruins posed a special horticultural problem which was solved by planting various shrubs such as common barberry, Cotoneaster, firethorn, and Mahonia. The square’s plane tree is protected. Another curiosity is the Kentucky coffee-tree opposite the Inner City Parish Church. Other tree species found in the square include linden, different kinds of maple, birch, ornamental plum, spiny oleaster, oak, and a China-tree on the south side of the bridge. By the church, which was built upon Roman foundations in the 15th century and extended in the 18th century, there are roses, green maple, a birch with a stem bifurcating at its base and a good selection of different shrubs. March 15 Square, dominated by its architectural monuments in the very heart of Pest, offers plenty to see despite its small size.

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