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Memorial Plaque of Béla Kun, Moscow

A Soviet-era plaque in Moscow marking the building where Béla Kun worked from 1924 to 1936, reflecting his later career and posthumous rehabilitation.

This plaque commemorates Kun's work in Moscow and his later Soviet rehabilitation after his execution in the Great Purge.

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Photo of a square granite memorial plaque mounted on a building wall. Raised Cyrillic text in a lighter stone panel reads that in this building worked Béla Kun, 1924-1936, and ends with the name БЕЛА КУН in large letters.
Memorial plaque to Béla Kun, Moscow, photographed 2009.

About this source

What it is

A square granite memorial plaque mounted on a building wall in Moscow, photographed in 2009. Its raised Cyrillic text states that Béla Kun worked in this building between 1924 and 1936, ending with his name in large letters.

Why it matters

After fleeing Hungary, Kun worked within the Soviet Communist system until he was arrested and executed during Stalin's Great Purge. This plaque, installed after his official rehabilitation in the Soviet Union following 1956, shows how the Soviet state later chose to honour him despite his earlier persecution.

Look closer

  • Why might a plaque be installed decades after someone's death?
  • What does the plaque's wording reveal, and what does it not mention about Kun's execution?
  • How do public memorials change depending on political circumstances?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Béla Kun on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Front page of the first issue of the Hungarian newspaper Vörös Ujság, dated Budapest, 1918 December 7, with the masthead 'VÖRÖS ÚJSÁG' and subtitle 'KOMMUNISTA LAP', and a lead editorial titled 'Osztályharcot!' in several columns of Hungarian text.Newspaper article

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Vörös Újság: First Editorial

Béla Kun · 7 December 1918

Spine and cover of a bound book with a dark green spine and grey-brown boards. Gold lettering on the spine reads 'TREATY OF PEACE... HUNGARY' and 'Cmd. 896'. A white library barcode label reads 'DOCS. COLL. CU-1' and 'D001182819'. A Google digitized watermark appears at the lower right.Document

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Treaty of Trianon

4 June 1920

Black and white photograph of a man in a dark suit and vest speaking to a dense crowd of men in hats in front of a building; other men sit on a rooftop and balcony at left and right.Photograph

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Béla Kun, Leader of the 1919 Hungarian Revolution

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Photograph of a yellowed Nazi propaganda pamphlet titled 'Die Totengräber Russlands' with a headline 'Nicht wegwerfen!' and 'Weitergeben!'. It has rows of ink caricatures of men's faces with text captions naming Soviet communist leaders, and the slogan 'Vor dem bolschewistischen Chaos bewahrt uns nur Adolf Hitler!' at the bottom. A handwritten note 'März 1937' is at the top left.Photograph

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Die Totengräber Russlands

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Sepia photograph of a dense crowd of men in hats and coats gathered in a city square in front of a stone building with arched windows. Lamp post and banners rise above them; a large statue on a pedestal stands at right, and a man on the far right holds a flag.Photograph

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Sándor Garbai and Béla Kun, Leaders of the Hungarian Soviet Republic

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