Bust of Count István II Koháry

The bronze bust of Count István Koháry II was unveiled during the XXIX Palóc Days on August 16, 2019. The idea and main organizer of the statue installation was the local Koháry Civic Association. As President László Estefán said, the idea came up at a member meeting two years ago. “During the discussion, board member Vince Erdős brought up the fact that we have Koháry Square in front of the church, but it lacks the statue of the count, and that the Koháry PT could be the initiator of placing it there,” the president clarified, adding that this plan had already been voted on at the meeting. Since the association did not have sufficient financial resources, they decided to collect public donations and registered themselves as recipients of the 2% income tax. The collection lasted from July 2017 to February 2019. The members originally wanted to erect a life-size bronze statue of Koháry in the square. “However, according to the quotes, it would have cost between 20,000 and 60,000, without additional costs for the concrete base, granite pedestal and others. It was obvious that we would not be able to raise that much money,” explained László Estefán, adding that they did not want to give up the idea of paying tribute to the count, so they resorted to a compromise solution in the form of a bust. “We showed the members a photo of the relief of Koháry by the Hungarian sculptor Györgyi Lantos. They liked the execution of the relief, so we contacted the sculptor.” All members of the association took part in the implementation of the project, which means more than 60 people who helped with the fundraising. “Some people who are not our members also helped, but contributed to the fundraising or gave us 2% of their tax for this purpose. We are grateful to everyone,” he added. More than 1,800 euros were collected from the sale of gift cards and public donations. The bust cost 4,100 euros, so the association had to pay the missing amount from its own funds. The granite pedestal, which cost approximately 1,800 euros, was financed by the municipality. “The additional costs, such as the concrete base, landscaping, and the transportation of the pedestal, were covered by the association from its own resources,” he added. According to László Estefán, the bust is the association’s last implemented initiative, which will remind posterity of its activities. “Considering that our membership is aging, and many of them are no longer able to physically participate in our activities despite their interest, and at the same time the younger generation is not showing interest, we have decided to end the activities of the Koháry PT by the end of the year,” he concluded. ; II. István Koháry was born on March 11, 1649 and died on March 29, 1731. He is also known as a poet, field marshal, state judge and the last castle captain of Fülek. He was 15 years old when his father died in battle, so he inherited his father’s estate at a very young age. Throughout his life, he unwaveringly supported the Habsburgs and the Catholic revival, was a feared commander in the anti-Turkish wars, and had a significant influence on the life of Fülek. He supported the development of science and culture, and he also had the city’s current Catholic church built.