Captain Ostapenko in Budapest’s Memento Park and the story behind
Most of the visitors of the Memento Park museum would like to know something about the statue which once stood at the southwestern entrance of Budapest, Captain Ostapenko’s sculpture. As it was the landmark in the outskirts of the city at which the traveler leaving Budapest cast a last glance, and the arrival at the capital was also marked by the figure with the flag, so the name of Ostapenko became more and more known and merged with its immediate environment, already marking the place itself. The statue became a dominating figure of the cityscape, and a reference in everyday language, for example as a starting point of hitchhiking to Lake Balaton: “Let us meet at the Ostapenko!” And a common response for an unrealistic proposal was: “When Ostapenko will change step!” But who was Ostapenko?
