Statue of King Matthias in Sajógömör

"King Matthias is just; ; King Matthias loved jokes above all else, ; King Matthias stands up and gestures towards the vineyard. ; Behold, the worker worked, while our lords had fun, ; Shouldn't we replace them so that they can have fun?" ; ; These few lines can be read on one side of the pedestal of the bronze statue of King Matthias in Sajógömör depicting him with a hoe. On the other side, the following can be read: "Erected by the public of Sajógömör in 1912, at the initiative of the headmaster and teacher Lajos Bogár, from public donations." ; ; Of the countless Matthias monuments, this bronze statue is the best known and most beloved to us, the people of "Gömörország". It is a magnificent creation by Barnabás Holló, depicting the just king with a hoe. ; ; The statue stands in the center of the village, in front of the southwestern entrance to the wall of the Lutheran church on the main street, outside in the park. The full-length bronze statue, standing on a low, pyramid-shaped pedestal, is the work of the sculptor Barnabás Holló (1865-1917), and was erected in 1914. (The collection began in 1912, the statue was completed in 1913, and it was erected in its current location in 1914.) The work, erected with public donations, is unique in its kind, as it depicts the well-known ruler not in royal regalia, but holding a hoe in his right hand. This obviously refers to the legend according to which King Matthias made the arrogant lords, who did not respect the hard work of simple peasants, hoe on the hillside for a whole day, giving them only their own food: bread and red onions. According to legend, this incident took place right here, in Gömör. ; ; Perhaps this hoe was the statue's savior, since after Trianon, the statues depicting Hungarian rulers, politicians, etc. stranded outside the border almost without exception fell victim to the anti-Hungarian fury of the successor states. In contrast, the "hoe-wearing" King Matthias was able to remain in place during both the first Czechoslovakia after 1918 and the second Czechoslovakia after 1945. ; ; The fairy tale related to King Matthias can be read below. ; ; King Matthias in Gömör ; ; Once, King Matthias was a guest in Gömör. He had fun and dinner with the local nobles. They drank the good Gömör wines. They raised the shiny golden cups. They cheered the king, drank to the prosperity of the country, and drank to each other's health. They blessed the mountain that gave off such a magnificent juice. They forgot only one thing, the poor man who produced the good wine. King Matthias spoke: - Good lords, did we forget anyone in the great blessing? The lords racked their brains, but nothing came to mind that they should bless. - So we don't bless the poor vineyard worker, to whom we owe the good wine? - asked the king. - We don't think about the one who picked the grapes? The lords looked at each other. One of them spoke: - It's nothing! That doesn't require intelligence. - Well, if nothing, then tomorrow morning we'll all go out to the mountain to hoe! - said the king in a harsh voice. The lords didn't dare to object. The next morning Matthias took the lords out to the vineyard, to the mountain. The peasants were having breakfast under the trees. Their food was onions, bread and bacon. - Phew! But they smell so bad - grimaced one of the gentlemen. King Matthias pretended not to hear, but he did not let it pass his ear. The gentlemen took the workers' hoes and started digging up the steep mountainside. Matthias ordered them to dig from the top down. Of course, he also joined the line. The big-bellied gentlemen almost fell on their faces on the steep slopes, sweat dripping off them. Their eyes bulged out from the great effort. The king showed no mercy, he drove them until noon without stopping. At noon they were finally able to settle down in the shade for a bit. They were both hungry and terribly thirsty. Each one took out his bag, in which the servants had packed God knows what delicacies at home. King Matthias did not let the gentlemen snack on the home-made roasts and stews. He gave them onions, bread, and bacon. As hungry as they were, even that was very good. They drank water on it, and then they had to dig again. They felt that the evening would never come when they could finally go home. They were also dying of thirst, because the onions and bacon craved water. Well, somehow the evening came. The tired, sweaty gentlemen could barely drag themselves home. - Is hoeing nothing? - King Matthias asked the gentleman from yesterday. - Oh, sir, I never thought it would be such hard work, but they must be used to it. Matthias smiled bitterly. A dog will not become bacon. The gentlemen will never understand the life of the poor. And they vowed that from now on they would also think about the people of the land. At least they did until Matthias was king, but then they soon forgot the lesson of Gömör. ; ; Sajógömör - a village in the Nagyrőce district of the Bánya-Biszterce district, 3 km north of Tornalja on the right bank of the Sajó River. Its name comes from the old Hungarian personal name Gömör of Turkish origin. It is the former center and eponym of Gömör county.