Heroes' Monument in Tardoskedd

The monument was built in 1941 in memory of the heroes of Tardoskeddi who fell or went missing in World War I. Later, the memorial plaques of the heroes of World War II were also placed on the monument, but after the monument underwent a complete renovation in 2006 and was transformed into its original form, the memorial plaques were placed in the church. The renovation work was carried out by restorers András Csutörk and Rudolf Mézes. ; Below we can read about the circumstances of the creation of the monument, quoted from the reports of Érsekújvár and Vidéke: ; "A plan for a large-scale memorial complex was born in Tardoskedd as early as 1939: ; During the autumn, the Heroes' Statue of the fallen in the World War will be inaugurated in Tardoskedd amidst bright celebrations. The monumental statue is being made in the studio of the famous Budapest sculptor Martinello. The statue, allegorically depicting Saint Stephen, Hunnia and the heroic soldier, will be placed in the middle of an artificial lake, which will be illuminated during ceremonial occasions. The names of 147 heroic soldiers of Tardoskedd will be engraved on the pedestal of the statue. The erection of the statue will cost approximately 8,000 pengő, which was collected from public donations." ; The plan was not implemented on the scheduled date, but in the news published the following year, readers were informed that the imposing monument would be consecrated on Pentecost: ; "In the near future, during the Pentecost holidays, the monument to the heroes who fell in the World War will be inaugurated in Tardoskedd. The monumental statue is already standing in the main square of the village. The monument is embellished with the reliefs of the heroic figures of Hungarian history, Lehel, St. Stephen, and the heroic soldier. In addition, the majestic figure of the Great Lady of Hungary is one of the main decorations of the statue. Turul on top of the statue symbolizes the heroism of the Hungarian soul. In the coming days, a memorial plaque with the names of the 148 heroes of Tardoskedd will be placed on the pedestal of the statue. The pedestal of the statue is surrounded by a water basin, the mirror of which will be illuminated with colorful light bulbs on festive occasions. The statue is the artistic creation of Budapest sculptor Jenő Martinelli." ; Despite the announcement of the specific date, the monument was not inaugurated this year, it only took place in the summer of 1941. We can learn about the inauguration plan from the news published in Érsekújvár and its surroundings: “On Sunday morning, June 8, the monument to the heroes of Tardoskeddi who fell in World War II will be inaugurated in a ceremonial setting. Several people from our city will also participate in the uplifting ceremony.” This time, the monument inauguration did indeed take place on the date indicated in the preliminary news above, however, several elements of the original plan were modified: ; "... the village houses were decorated with flags and the light of joy shone on the faces that had suffered a lot during the long Czech captivity. The celebrations began at 10 am. At the end of the mass, Fr. Béla Z. Haliczky, papal chamberlain and parish priest of Tardoskeddi, gave a heartfelt and thoughtful sermon. As he said: "The Hungarian people are a people of sacrifices by their historical vocation. God demanded blood, wealth, sweat and an altar from them as sacrifices. By their historical vocation, the Hungarian people continue to fight and live. There are profound strengths hidden in the heroic people and they build a better future in the cult of the great Ideals of the past." After the sermon, the associations of the area and Tardoskeddi marched out of the main gate of the church in a closed procession and positioned themselves around the monument to be inaugurated. A tribune decorated with flags and flowers was set up in front of the notary's residence. This is where the distinguished guests who attended the ceremony were seated (…) The uplifting celebrations began in bright summer sunshine. The dedication of the unveiled statue was performed by the papal chamberlain, Fr. Béla Z. Haliczky, assisted by the chaplain Antal Békés. Then the Solymar Levente Orchestra played the Anthem. After reciting several occasional poems, the teacher Vince Garamvölgyi gave a passionate speech imbued with patriotic spirit on behalf of the Tardoskeddi firefighters. The Tardoskeddi-Alsójattó Puszta dalárda sang several songs under the energetic leadership of the teacher Simon Ocskay. The inaugurated monument is one of the most successful works of the Budapest sculptor Jenő Martinelli (…) Then came one of the most beautiful moments of the ceremony. During the deep salute of those present, the national flag was raised high to proclaim the will of the loyal Hungarian people of Tardoskedd that they would not rest until the historical, sacred borders of the country of Saint Stephen, crowned with the Carpathians, were regained. The national flag inauguration speech was delivered with great oratory energy by Dr. Jenő Javorniczky, Ministerial Counselor, Co-Chairman of the Relic and National Flag Grand Committee. His almost one-hour speech was interrupted several times by enthusiastic expressions of approval from the audience… Then Géza Zsilinszky, the well-known poet of the village, stepped onto the podium and, as the chairman of the statue committee, handed over the monument and the national flag to the village. As he said: “We, the people of Tardoskedd, will look at it with awe whenever we pass by the monument. We are a large agricultural community, the sweet mother earth provides our daily bread. Let us always love this holy Hungarian nugget, for which the heroes who fell in the battles of the World War, for whom we have erected an eternal memorial today, gave their lives. The monument and the national flag were received by Dr. Miklós Jankovics, the chief notary of Tardoskedd, who promised that these holy relics would always be preserved with Hungarian loyalty and love. Finally, the wreaths were laid (…) After the celebrations, there was a 200-table lunch in the Catholic Cultural Center, at which the first toast was given by Lord Mayor Károly Thuróczy, who raised his glass to the health of our Lord Governor. The speech of Member of Parliament József Prokopecz was a great success, as the leader of the Tótmegyer village, in his speech he mentioned the Holy He advocated the restoration of Stephen's country. The luncheon ended in an enthusiastic atmosphere with several toasts. ; In the evening, the fire fighters organized a successful party in the restaurant of the valiant Czakó Ferenc, at which the dance music was provided by the gypsy prima band of Kálmán Dráfi from Érsekújvár."