Downtown - Szekszárd, Hungary

Location:

GPS coordinates: Latitude 46°20'57", Longitude 18°41'56" (N46 20.95 - E18 41.93) Map

The Roman Catholic churck of Szekszárd

The Béla Square is the historic town square of Szekszárd, in the middle of it there stands the largest single-nave Roman Catholic church in Hungary and Central Europe. The late-baroque style church was completed in 1806, it was built by the plans of József Thaller court architect. Due to the careless playing of some children its tower and the roof structure was burnt down in 1925, and the wall paintings were also damaged. The reconstruction and renovation was done in several steps and lasted until 1992.

Béla I (the Champion) king of Hungary

Created by Márta Lesenyei in 1986

There is a commonly referred hypothesis which says that Szekszárd city got its name after King Béla I of Hungary. The explanation is that the king was brown-skinned and bald and these were called in old Hungarian "szög" and "szár" respectively, and that's how the settlement was named first Szegszárd, then after 1903 finally Szekszárd. The wirst written records about Szekszárd were found in chronicles from 1015. In 1061 Béla I King of Hungary established a Benedictine abbey here and later he was buried within its walls.

Memorial stone of the formation of Rotary Club in Szekszárd

The Rotary Club is the world's largest charitable organization (or charity organization), it was founded by an American lawyer in 1905. Various professionals and businessmen undertake humanitarian services in the organization. The members try to live their life by high ethical standards in all aspects, and their aim is to steer the world to a more peaceful path.

The Rotary Clubs were highly popular worldwide in the 1920s, the first one in Hungary was established in 1925 in Budapest. The world-famous Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi was also a member of it. In 1944 in Hungary it was banned by a decree, and it began to reorganize just in 1988. The Rotary Club of Szekszárd was established in 1998.

Town Hall or City Hall of Szekszárd

The original building of the City Hall (ot Town Hall) was designed by Károly Tormay (Krenmüller) and Henrik Huber, it was inaugurated in 1846. At the opening ceremony the world-famous Hungarian composer Ferenc (Franz) Liszt gave a concert within the walls of the neighboring County Hall. Initially the facade of the building also had a tympanum like on the County Hall, but later the colonnade sank and the building was cracked. Allegedly it was possible to look through the crack in the wall of the meeting room out to the square.

The facade was altered in Art Nouveau style (which was very famous at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries) by the plans of the local architect László Diczenty. Although the plaque at the main entrance says 1904, in reality the work was completed in 1908. The stone-carved coat of arms of Szekszárd was placed on the facade of the City Hall in 1985.

Bust statue of István Bezerédj, politician and rhetorician from the Hungarian reform age

Created by Sándor Konrád in 1942

István Bezerédj (1796-1856) was the first Hungarian noble landlord, who signed a contract with his serfs to liberate them. At the National Assembly of 1844 he voluntarily committed himself to pay taxes, because the issue of the public burden sharing failed after a lengthy debate. By representing the city of Debrecen he was a member of the revolutionary parliament of 1848. In 1850 he was sentenced to confiscation of property and to death by hanging, but finally he was pardoned and exiled to his estate.

Interestingly the making of the statue took a very long time. The Casino of Szekszárd decided to create it already in 1896, but due to several reasons it was completed only in 1942.

Statue of Saint Ladislaus (in Hungarian "Szent László", King Ladislaus I of Hungary)

Created by Benedek Nagy in 2001

The statue near the Roman Catholic church in the main square of Szekszárd was inspired by an initial in the Illuminated Chronicle (in Hungarian "Képes Krónika", in Latin "Chronicon Pictum" or "Chronica de rebus gestis Hungarorum", created by Mark of Kalt in around 1358). In the depicted scene (Saint) Ladislaus I King of Hungary saves a Hungarian girl from a Kun (Cuman) warrior. On the support of a statue there is a poem in praise of the King St. Ladislaus, it is the old Hungarian translation of a Latin hymn from 1470. The poem has survived in two fragments on the pages of the Gyöngyös Codex and the Peer Codex, and fortunately from these fragments the complete writing could be composed.

The old County Hall (Vármegyeháza)

The neoclassical style former County Hall building was designed by Mihály Pollack and built between 1828-1833. In the inner courtyard there are the ruins of the Benedictine abbey, which was founded by King Béla I of Hungary in 1061.