The tomb of Imre Madách in Lower Štregová

The remains of Imre Madách were placed in the old family tomb under a small chapel-like structure in the village cemetery in 1864. In 1909, the “Nógrád County Public” initiated the perpetuation of the poet’s memory with a statue and a tombstone, but this was not done until decades later. The issue of the tombstone, which was considered more worthy, was again on the agenda in the centenary year of 1923, when a large-scale memorial ceremony was held in Losonc, and a delegation laid a wreath at the gravesite in the Stregova cemetery. According to those present, “the dilapidated chapel-like building that was built over the poet’s grave was a sad sight, and unworthy of his greatness and memory.” The Madách Tomb Committee, established in Losonc under the chairmanship of lawyer Dr. János Giller, published an appeal entitled “A Mausoleum for Madách”, but this was still not followed up. In July 1932, Lajos Horánszky, as a member of the Kisfaludy Society in Budapest, visited Sztregova, visited Imre Madách’s granddaughter, Pálné Lázár, Flóra Madách, known as Lola, with whom he agreed that the new tomb would be officially created in her name. With the effective support of the Kisfaludy Society and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the involvement of prominent personalities and political figures, and tireless organizational work, Horánszky achieved a satisfactory conclusion to the case that had been dragging on for decades. On July 2, 1934, the remains of Imre Madách and his family members were moved to a new tomb built in the castle park, fulfilling the poet's wish expressed in his poem: My tomb should stand outside, / From far, far away to see, / The rays of the sun, the storm of the night - Come and visit it”. The reburial was attended by numerous Hungarian public figures from Hungary and Slovakia. The organizers then asked the Bratislava sculptor Alajos Rigele to create the statue and relief that would complete the new tomb. Before the statue was erected, it was discovered that "as a result of insufficient technical and financial control", the new tomb had deteriorated to such an extent that it had to be rebuilt. The reconstruction was supervised by Dr. Giller. On October 1, 1936, Rigele informed Lajos Horánszky that the statue was cast in plaster and could be cast in bronze, master builder Cziffery Sztregován had finished building the crypt, and stonemason Horn was already covering the pedestal of the statue with stone slabs. On November 12, 1936, in the concrete crypt (2.5 x 3.5m) covered with carved stone on the outside, Imre Madách (center), his son Aladár, his mother Anna Majthényi (bottom left, above), Mrs. Aladár Madách, Mária Fekete, and the remains of the ancestors placed in a coffin (bottom right, above) were placed in their final place. On December 19, the statue was also erected. The final tombstone, including the pedestal, is 8.6 m high, and the 3.6-meter bronze statue with its two arms raised towards the sky - the Adam of Tragedy - is a symbol of man's eternal struggle for existence: “You do not deter me, my soul strives upwards.” (XIII. scene) The relief depicting Madách's profile is also the work of Alajos Rigele. The current nameplate - now the third - was installed in the 21st century. The monument, which has been restored several times since 1936, has become a real place of pilgrimage, regularly visited by groups and individuals from both here and abroad. ; Related events, celebrations: Madách memorial celebrations on the anniversary of the poet's birth and death.