John Feketeházy

* Vágsellye, May 16, 1842 – † Vágsellye, October 31, 1927 / bridge construction engineer ; ; His ancestors came here from Bohemia, his father, a cantor teacher, was originally called Domonkos Černohaus, who Hungarianized his name to Feketeházy. His mother was Anna Fekete. He began his elementary school education in his hometown, attended the Piarist gymnasium in Nagyszombat and Nitra, where he graduated in 1861. He studied at the Vienna and then Zurich Technical Universities, receiving his engineering diploma in 1866. As an intern, he participated in the design of the Bosphorus Canal and the Vienna-Stadlau Danube Bridge. After the 1867 compromise, he returned home and from 1873 worked as an employee of the MÁV board. In 1892, he retired as chief engineer of MÁV. He lived in Budapest with his family for a while, but in 1919 his place of residence was listed as Vágsellye on the census. In 1923, he suffered an accident while building a house and had to have one of his legs amputated. He did significant work, especially in the field of designing iron structures, even internationally. Until 1912, all MÁV bridges were built based on his designs. His outstanding works include the Ferenc József (today: Szabadság) Bridge in Budapest, the swing bridge in Fiume, the Eastern Railway Station, the Opera House and the roof structure of the Main Customs House (today: Corvinus University). The Erzsébet Bridge in Komárom was built (in 1891–1892) and the Mária Valéria Bridge between Párkány and Esztergom (in 1893–1896) based on his designs. Based on Ede Lósy-Schmidt's research, it became known that he was also the designer of the Tisza Bridge in Szeged, and that it was built by the world-famous French Eiffel company. His railway locomotive turning discs and military bridge structures were also popular abroad. A memorial plaque and the Hungarian House named after him preserve his memory in his hometown. His widow (born: Júlia Szecsey) died in 1952 in Vágsellye, but her property was confiscated in 1945 and she became stateless. Of her three sons, János Feketeházy Jr. (1891–1953) continued his father's profession and settled in Vágsellye as a design engineer. He mainly built the bridges for the drainage canals built around Vágsellye during the Great Depression. Among the bridges still in use, he is credited with designing the reinforced concrete road bridge connecting Deáki and Alsószeli, as well as the iron structure of the portico of the Pered church, which proves his outstanding talent with its beautiful decoration. He had his own construction company, which also built the first sidewalks in Vágsellye. He also designed the local village slaughterhouse. After 1945, he and his wife, Mária, were deported as part of the Czechoslovak-Hungarian population exchange. After the death of his widow, they were both laid to rest in the family tomb in Vágsellye.