Named Roosevelt tér in 1947 after the long-serving (1933–45) American president, this square has now been renamed to honour the statesmen and developer of Chain Bridge, which it faces. The square offers among the best views of Castle Hill in Pest.
On the southern end of Széchenyi István tér 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 is neatly coiffed.
The Art Nouveau building with the gold tiles to the east is 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 (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia), founded by Count István Széchenyi, is at the northern end of the square.
