Contemplate for a moment the weight of a nation’s grief. This is etched in stone before us at the Első világháborús hősi emlékmű. It is a monument born from a country’s deep sorrow. It stands as a testament to sacrifice.
The Első világháborús hősi emlékmű translates to First World War Heroes’ Memorial. It is more than just stone and bronze. It embodies Hungary’s remembrance of those who perished in the Great War.
Initially, a law decreed that every settlement should erect a monument. This was to honor local soldiers fallen in the First World War. A central memorial was also needed to commemorate soldiers resting in anonymous graves.
A design tender was announced in 1924. It sought a national memorial. Count Miklós Bánffy won. His grandiose design was for Gellért Hill. However, it was rejected because of the huge costs.
Later, the Memorial Stone of Heroes was put back on the agenda. Minister of Culture Kunó Klebelsberg commissioned plans without a tender. The location was set. It had to be in Heroes’ Square in front of Árpád’s statue. Governor Miklós Horthy suggested this. He thought it would symbolically connect the heroic past with the heroic present.
The Fine Arts Council decided that the memorial stone should be simple. It should not compete with the Millennium Monument. Only a simple cross was approved. It followed the form of King Andrew I’s Tihany sarcophagus.
“1914-1918” was inscribed on the Andrássy Road side. “For the millennial borders” was on the opposite side. Jenő Lechner, nephew of Ödön Lechner, was entrusted with the construction.
The work was slow. The area in front of the Millennium Monument had to be raised. György Zala, creator of Millennium Monument statues, objected. The raising hid the monument’s lowest stairs.
Transport was difficult. The stone block weighed 47 tons. Its transport alone took half a year. The limestone block came from Budakalász. It was 6.5 meters long, 3 meters wide and 1.3 meters high. The monument was sunk below ground level.
The monument symbolized a mass grave. It was to remind people of soldiers resting in unknown places. Its primary message was to activate the chant “No, no, never!”.
The Memorial Stone of Heroes was inaugurated on May 26, 1929. This was at the same time as the official handover of the Millennium Monument. The art world was divided. György Zala found the remodeling offensive.
Sculptor Ferenc Márton planned to remodel it. He would have raised the memorial stone by four meters. He would have sunk a loggia around it. The loggia would have rhymed with the Millennium Monument. However, only a newspaper battle came of it.
The memorial stone was removed in 1951. The inscription “For the millennial borders” became untenable. In 1956, another monument was erected. It was similar but rested on a foundation. The inscription was added. It read: “To the memory of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our people and our national independence.”
Heroes’ Square was renovated between 1996 and 2000. The Memorial Stone of Heroes was replaced. András Szilágyi designed the new monument. It combines the two previous works. It was inaugurated on August 20, 2001. “In memory of our heroes” is inscribed on the side facing Andrássy Road.
The Első világháborús hősi emlékmű is thus more than a monument. It’s a palimpsest of Hungarian history. It shows shifting ideologies and enduring remembrance. As we stand here, let us remember the sacrifices made. Let us honor the heroes whose stories are etched in this stone.