View source for Oktogon (intersection)

{{Short description|Intersection in Pest, Hungary}}
{{For|the metro station|Oktogon (Budapest Metro)}}
[[File:Oktogon - 1900 (1).jpg|thumb|Oktogon before 1900]]

'''Oktogon''' is one of [[Pest, Hungary|Pest]]'s major intersections, located at the junction of the [[Grand Boulevard (Budapest)|Grand Boulevard]] ({{lang|hu|Nagykörút}}) and [[Andrássy Avenue]] ({{lang|hu|Andrássy út}}) in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]. This junction, one of the city's most important, is named for its [[octagon]]al shape.<ref name="WLB">{{Cite web |url=https://welovebudapest.com/en/venue/oktogon-2/ |title=Oktogon |website=WeLoveBudapest |access-date=January 2, 2020}}</ref>

Oktogon is also [[Oktogon (Budapest Metro)|a station]] on the yellow [[Line 1 (Budapest Metro)|M1]] (Millennium Underground) line of the [[Budapest Metro]], which runs underneath Andrássy Avenue to [[Hősök tere|Heroes' Square]] ({{lang|hu|[[Hősök tere]]}}).<ref name="WLB"/>

==History==
[[File:Budapest, Abbazia kávéház az Oktogonon 1900.jpg|thumb|left|Historic photo of Oktogon around 1900, overlooking {{lang|hu|Abbázia Kávéház}}]]
Prior to the construction of [[Andrássy Avenue]] in 1871, there was a large hole at the site, which was then filled in. The next two years saw the construction of the four large eclectic buildings surrounding the intersection, built according to plans of architect [[Antal Szkalnitzky]].<ref name="WLB"/>

[[File:Vasút oktogon 1896-17 Klösz György.JPG|thumb|right|Construction of the Millennium Underground (1896)]]
The intersection was again under significant construction in 1894–1896 as part of the [[Line 1 (Budapest Metro)|Millennium Underground]] construction project, built under Andrássy Avenue using the [[cut-and-cover]] method.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://dailynewshungary.com/secrets-metro-1/ |title=The secrets of Budapest Metro Line 1 |newspaper=Daily News Hungary |date=July 29, 2017 |first=Gergely |last=Lajtai-Szabó |access-date=January 2, 2020}}</ref>

Oktogon has had numerous names: from 1936 to 1945, it was renamed [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] Square, then between 1945 and 1990 it was known as [[October Revolution|November&nbsp;7]] Square.<ref name="WLB"/> Since then it has regained its original name. Oktogon and its famous cafés play a central role in [[Vilmos Kondor]]'s 2012 novel [[Budapest Noir]].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=47.505236,19.063296 Map and Satellite images of the Oktogon Junction]

{{Coord|47|30|18.98|N|19|3|48.23|E|region:HU_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Budapest}}

[[Category:Squares in Budapest]]

{{Budapest-geo-stub}}