Bust of János Fadrusz in Bratislava

The city of Bratislava wanted to erect a monument to its native János Fadrusz, the creator of the monumental Maria Theresa sculpture group (1897), who died in 1903 at the age of 45. The solution was provided by the sculptor János Pfliegler, who was also born in Bratislava and was only 26 years old. As is the commendable custom of Bratislava, it gave all the support it could to its discovered artistic talents. In this way, Pfliegler was able to study at the Budapest College of Fine Arts with a scholarship from the Bratislava Fine Arts Association, and from none other than Fadrusz's former assistant, the creator of the Petőfi monument, Béla Radnai, also born in Bratislava. Under his influence, Pfliegler made the plaster bust depicting the young Fadrusz, which he donated to the city in the autumn of 1911 in gratitude for the support. ; The bust was displayed in the foyer of the mayor's study in the Primate's Palace, where interested parties could view it while the city council deliberated on its further "use". The decision was made at the beginning of 1912: the council decided that János Fadrusz deserved a full-fledged, outdoor monument and allocated 2,000 crowns for this purpose. In the ongoing debate about the location of the monument, the opinion prevailed that the most suitable place would be the western corner of the embankment park, from where Fadrusz could "see" his own valuable creation, the Maria Theresa monument. ; Within a year, the city hall cast the bronze bust for 600 crowns, had a pedestal made for 370 crowns, had pine trees planted in the park as a backdrop for the monument, and Pfliegler also received a creative fee of 400 crowns. On December 3, 1912, the earthworks began, and 13 days later the pedestal was already in place, on which the previously “hidden” work could shine in all its glory... Although it was already evening, the embankment was filled with a crowd admiring the work in a moment. Thus, without any frills or ceremony, Bratislava received a new monument, although the next day it was decorated with a laurel wreath, with the following inscription on its national-colored ribbon: “Bratislava is a free royal city – the bust of a notable native of Bratislava. The bust of a notable native stood on the embankment for more than 30 years”. It watched the destruction of its “child”, the Maria Theresa monument, and a few years later it was possible to “see” the statue of Milan Rastislav Štefánik in its place. ; Fortunately, it avoided the ugly fate of many other monuments, as it remained and has been resting in the storage room of the Bratislava City Gallery since 1959.