The 1848/49 War Memorial in Léva

The most brilliant victory of the glorious spring campaign of the Hungarian War of Independence in 1849 was won by the Hungarian army troops led by Generals Klapka and Damjanich at Nagysalló, located about 20 km south of the town of Léva in the Highlands, on April 19, 1849, against the numerically superior combined imperial and royal corps. Nearly 900 Hungarian soldiers fell in the battle. ; Their memory is preserved by two monuments that still stand today: the obelisk in Nagysalló, and the military monument inaugurated on October 21, 1871 in the Catholic cemetery of Léva, a city that was still inhabited by a significant Hungarian majority at that time. The latter immortalizes the memory of about 200 soldiers who were taken to the hospital in Léva and died there. The 1871 monument was built with public donations at the initiative of the then Hungarian Women's League of Léva, in 202 days, 236.65 forints were collected by the population of Léva and the surrounding area, 244 people donated. ; The obelisk of the monument is made of Újbánya rhyolite, the pedestal is made of sandstone, the monument is surrounded by 6 smaller stone columns connected by a chain. After the recapture in 1938, the monument was renovated, probably at that time the original sandstone stairs were replaced with concrete stairs. ; The monument became one of the most important gathering places for the local Hungarians, the Hungarian community of Léva gathered here on our national holidays. After 1921, the state authorities punished the participants of the commemorations at the monument and the singing of the anthem with prison sentences. The socialist state system was also not in favor of the monument, although wreath-laying ceremonies took place, for example by the high school graduates of Léva. Commemorations at the monument increased again from the late 1980s. The condition of the obelisk deteriorated significantly, requiring immediate intervention. The cultural committee of the Léva city government did not support the renovation of the monument, so the Hungarian Women's League of Léva, led by its president, Magdolna Kosztolányi, announced a public donation. The necessary funds for the renovation were collected within a short time, so the work could begin in 2015. ; The renovated monument was inaugurated and consecrated on October 6, 2015, the memorial day of the Arad Thirteen. Miklós Duray gave a ceremonial speech. About one hundred and fifty people participated in the ceremony, mainly representatives of the Hungarian community of Léva. Following the festive commemoration, László Gubík, the MKP's president in Leva, and Jenő Wirth, the president of the Reviczky Association, greeted the participants at the standing reception at the Hungarian House in Leva.