Day of Independent Hungary is observed in the Republic of Hungary every June 19. This official remembrance day commemorates the end of the Soviet occupation and honors the martyrs of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The revolution began on October 23, 1956, as a student demonstration and escalated into a nationwide uprising, which was ultimately suppressed by Soviet forces by November 10 of the same year. The last Soviet soldier left Hungary on June 19, 1991, marking the end of communist rule in the country. Declared an official memorial day in 2001, it is marked with solemn remembrance ceremonies throughout Hungary, although it is not a public holiday, meaning employees do not receive paid time off.