Bust of Mór Jókai from Ógyalla
Statue, monument, memorial plaque
In 1856, the painter Árpád Feszty, son-in-law of Mór Jókai, was born in Ógyalla. The writer's maternal grandparents were also residents of Ógyalla, with whom Jókai enjoyed spending time during his childhood. It is thanks to this that in 2004, on the 100th anniversary of his death, a statue was erected in his memory in the park next to the Roman Catholic Church of Saint László, made by the sculptor Rozália Darázs, who lives in Ógyalla. The original Baroque church built in 1718 burned down in the fire of 1911. In its place, a typical building of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture was built in the following two years, based on the designs of István Medgyaszay and Gyula Boldoghy. The octagonal-shaped church also bears the characteristics of Transylvanian Gothic architecture. The separate tower is 48 meters high. The statue of Jókai, the second to be erected in the Uplands, looks towards this tower. The statue was erected at the initiative of Mayor László Basternák. László Basternák was shot dead in front of his house in 2010 for an unclear reason. He probably became a victim of the fight against corruption.