Squares, streets, and public places in Budapest are named after famous Hungarians who left a mark on their country's political or cultural scene and contributed to building up the country's national identity. The most popular among the people of Budapest are:
1. Saint Stephen, first king of Hungary and founder of the Hungarian state converted the Magyars to Christianity. He is commemorated annually on August 20th. An imposing equestrian statue of Saint Stephen stands on Szentharomsag ter in front of Matthias Church, a stone's throw from Fishermen's Bastions. Budapest's Basilica on Szent Istvan ter, some distance away from Chain Bridge, is also dedicated to the saint.
2. Prince Arpad was leader of the Magyars and ancestor of the Arpad Dynasty. The big bridge Arpad hid, which joins Florian ter in Buda to Robert Karoly korut in Pest and passes over the north tip of Margaret Island, is named after him.
3. Adam Clark, a Scottish engineer was responsible for the construction of Chain Bridge. Clark Adam ter, the busy square in front of the bridge on the side of Buda, is named after him.
4. Deak Ferenc was a diplomat who devised the agreement for the dual monarchy between Hungary and Austria when the latter was ruled by Emperor Franz Josef. His statue is on Roosevelt ter while his mausoleum stands inside the Kerepesi cemetery.
5. Saint Gellert, a Benedictine monk who was appointed bishop of Hungary in 1030 was killed in a pagan revolt and thrown into the Danube from Citadel Hill, now called Gellert hegy. The big luxury hotel, the medicinal baths, the square, and the embankment at the foot of the hill are all named after him.
6. Count Batthyany Lajos was the first prime minister of independent Hungary. He was executed in 1848 after the war for independence. The square in Buda just opposite Parliament on the other side of the Danube is named Batthyany ter, while his mausoleum stands inside the Kerepesi cemetery.
7. Count Istvan Szechenyi, a politician and statesman who was the first to propose the union of Pest and Buda, financed the design of the first permanent bridge over the Danube, rightly called Szechenyi Lanchid. He also proposed the construction of the tunnel under Castle Hill. His achievements are enough to earn him the title of the greatest Hungarian. His statue stands proudly on Roosevelt ter in front of the bridge named after him.
8. Miklos Ybl, an outstanding architect, was responsible for the building of the Hungarian State Opera along Andrassy ut, the Budapest University of Economics on Fovam ter, and Saint Stephen's Basilica on Szent Istvan ter. His memory is retained in a statue placed on the square that is named after him.
9. King Matthias Corvinus, who crowned himself king and occupied Vienna, was a great sponsor of arts and sciences. He centralised the administration and followed a foreign policy that earned him the friendship of important European personalities. His memory is retained in the neo-Gothic church on Szentharomsag ter.
10. Franz Liszt contributed to the establishment of the Academy of Music. His statue decorated the facade of the Hungarian State Opera and his bust stands along the Artists' Promenade on Margaret island.