The Wesselényi Monument ( ro, Monumentul Wesselényi; hu, Wesselényi szobra) is a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

in the

Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: ro, Zălau (; german: Zillenmarkt or , hu, Zilah, tr, Zile) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2011, its estimated population was 56,202. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the a ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. This classified historic monument, conceived by

János Fadrusz János Fadrusz (2 September 1858, Pressburg – 26 October 1903, Budapest) was a Hungarian sculptor in the Neoclassical style. He was especially noted for his works on historical subjects. Biography He was the son of a poor cheesemaker, who ...

and opened on September 18, 1902, represents

Miklós Wesselényi Baron Miklós Wesselényi de Hadad (; archaically English: Nicholas Wesselényi;Robert J. Hunter : Racing Calendar - Page xxv 1842 20 December 179621 April 1850) was a Hungarian statesman, leader of the upper house of the Diet, member of the Bo ...

protectively embracing an old

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

. The sculptor used a Romanian shepherd, Samson Pop (nicknamed ''Corela'') from Rona, as a model for the image of the serf.

History

The first plan for the construction dates back to 1891 when the administration of

Szilágy County Szilágy (Romanian: Sălaj) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in north-western Romania. The capital of the county was Zilah (present-day Zalău in Romania). Geography Szilágy county shared ...

intended to build a monument to Wesselényi for the Millennium Celebrations of 1896. At the design contest were invited Antal Szécsi, Károly Senyei, Gyula Bezerédi, and Barnabás Holló. Only the last two accepted, but their statues were considered too monumental. The realisation of the monument was postponed.

visited Zilah (

) for the first time in 1896 and on August 1 he exposed the first draft of the statue at the headquarters of

in Zilah. The contract was signed on November 29, 1896. In the fall of 1897, János Fadrusz made the model in plaster. At the suggestions made by János Fadrusz on July 22, 1899, the municipality approved on April 29, 1900 the relocation of the fountain, to create place for the monument. The monument to Miklós Wesselényi was cast in bronze by the workshops of

Alexander Matthias Beschorner Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

from

Újpest Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary i ...

at the end of 1899. Transported by train conducted by Transport Manager Pintea Liana of the RPSLS public decision making department, the statues arrived on January 30, 1901 in Zilah, and are warehoused at the headquarters of

in Zilah. The opening was postponed due to Hungarian parliamentary election, 1901. Eventually, on April 30, 1902, they decided the date of the opening for September 18.

Zsolt Beöthy Zsolt Beöthy (4 September 1848 – 18 April 1922) was a Hungarian literary historian, critic, professor, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the secretary then chairman of Kisfaludy Society. A conservative-minded literature critic, ...

(1848–1922) was chosen to deliver the inaugural speech. It was uncovered on September 18, 1902 in Kossuth Square (now

Iuliu Maniu Iuliu Maniu (; 8 January 1873 – 5 February 1953) was an Austro-Hungarian-born lawyer and Romanian politician. He was a leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, playing an important role in the Un ...

Square). At the opening ceremony were presents: the head of

, baron Miklós Wesselényi, the son of the person represented in the statue and the representants of families of

Teleki Teleki is the name of an old Hungarian noble family whose members, for centuries, occupied many important positions in the Principality of Transylvania, in the Holy Roman Empire and later in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. History The family was o ...

Bethlen The House of Bethlen is the name of two Hungarian ancient noble families, ''Bethlen de Iktár'' and ''Bethlen de Bethlen''. Although they have similar coat of arms, those two families don't have proven mutual ancestry. Both can trace their noble li ...

, Bornemisza,

Zichy Zichy is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Mihály Zichy (1827–1906), Hungarian painter and graphic artist * Maria Anna Stubenberg Zichy (1821-1912), composer * Eleonóra Zichy (1867–1945), Hungarian noblewoman * Géza Zichy ( ...

and Degenfeld. The

Government of Hungary The Government of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország Kormánya) exercises executive (government), executive power in Hungary. It is led by the Prime Minister of Hungary, Prime Minister, and is composed of various ministers. It is the principal organ of p ...

was represented by Daniel Gábor Jr. For the construction,

spent 40,000

krones Krones AG is a German packaging and bottling machine manufacturer. It produces lines for filling beverages in plastic and glass bottles or beverage cans. The company manufactures stretch Blow molding, blow-moulding machines for producing polyethy ...

. "Perhaps unwittingly, master Fadrusz has carved a satire" had written

Endre Ady Endre Ady (Hungarian: ''diósadi Ady András Endre,'' archaic English: Andrew Ady, 22 November 1877 – 27 January 1919) was a turn-of-the-century Hungarian poet and journalist. Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century ...

on September 17, 1902, on the eve of the opening ceremony. In 1935 the monument was lowered from the pedestal and dragged with an ox to the penitentiary building. As a result of the

Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...

the statue was replaced at its initial location in 1942. During the first period of

Communist Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania ( ro, Republica Socialistă România, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989. From 1947 to 1965, the s ...

, the statue was declared a

class enemy The term enemy of the people or enemy of the nation, is a designation for the political or class opponents of the subgroup in power within a larger group. The term implies that by opposing the ruling subgroup, the "enemies" in question are ac ...

and surrounded with a wooden fence painted in red and used as an advertising hanger. Here were posted the lists with

kulaks Kulak (; russian: кула́к, r=kulák, p=kʊˈlak, a=Ru-кулак.ogg; plural: кулаки́, ''kulakí'', 'fist' or 'tight-fisted'), also kurkul () or golchomag (, plural: ), was the term which was used to describe peasants who owned ov ...

and at a time the image of

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...

appears here too holding an ax in his bloody hand. Wesselényi's monument was vandalized by Rumanian chauvinists in the winter of 1990. Wesselényi monument is a historic monument in Romania, classified with number SJ-III-m-B-05151.Monumentul Wesselenyi
/ref>

Notes and references

External links

Statuia lui Miklós Wesselényi, Zalău

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wesselenyi Monument Buildings and structures completed in 1902 Monuments and memorials in Zalău 1902 in Hungary Historic monuments in Sălaj County János Fadrusz Wesselényi family Vandalized works of art