Zobor-hegy Millennium Monument

The approximately 20-meter-high monument was inaugurated on August 30, 1896, on Zobor Hill near the city of Nyitra. The inauguration was attended by Minister of the Interior Dezső Perczel, Bishop of Nyitra Imre Bende, who held the mass, Chief Magistrate Vilmos Thúróczy and Vice-Governor István Craus. The monument was designed by Gyula Berczik. On each of the four sides of the pointed obelisk, a stone-carved Turul bird with lowered wings and facing the four cardinal directions "guarded", praising the work of Ede Kallós. The circular substructure was decorated with the state coat of arms and the inscription "896-1896" was readable on it. ; Zobor Hill was chosen because, according to the gesta of Anonymous, the leaders Huba, Szovárd and Kadocsa fought one of the last victorious battles of the conquest here. At the end of the battle, the defeated but unyielding Moravian leader, Zobor, was hanged on the 587-meter-high mountain. ; The monument was toppled by Czech legionnaires on February 9, 1921; today only its base is visible. ; ; The county assembly, with its resolution numbered 1/5083 in 1894, declared that it would vote 100,000 forints for the celebration of the thousandth anniversary of the conquest. On January 1, 1896, the celebration began throughout the county. The cities, villages, churches, ecclesiastical and secular institutions raised flags, and the schools ; organized celebrations. ; The county itself held a ceremonial assembly on May 18, under the chairmanship of the chief magistrate Vilmos Thuróczy, at which everyone appeared in festive attire, and dr. Imre Janits, the national representative of the Nyitra constituency, gave a solemn commemorative speech dedicated to the thousandth anniversary of the founding of the country, and Viceroy István Craus presented a laudatory inscription addressed to the king. Then, on June 9, in the ceremonial banner marching before His Majesty the King in Budapest, Nyitra County participated with 11 noble cavalrymen. The members of the banner were the following: Count Lajos Károlyi - with two retainers, Standard Bearer Ödön Turcsányi - with two retainers, and two foot hussars, Ferencz Rakovszky - with one retainer, Knight Sándor Chwalibogovszky - with two retainers, Géza Majthényi, Jr. Imre Dióssy, Gusztáv Tarnóczy, Vladimír Tarnóczy, Rexa Arthur and Count Zedwitz Utz with a noble banner from the year 1660. ; On August 30, the millennium memorial column erected by the state on the summit of Zobor Hill in memory of the founding of the homeland was inaugurated (one of the seven monuments erected on the occasion of Hungary's millennium celebration, a 20 m high granite obelisk protruding from a wider substructure). Patriots from all parts of the country flocked to Nyitra for this bright celebration. A large delegation traveled from Nyitra to Érsekújvár on a special train on August 29 to meet the Minister of the Interior, Dezső Perczel, who arrived on behalf of the government. At the head of the delegation was Vilmos Thuróczy, who greeted the minister with a speech in Érsekújvár. That evening, the county public gave a splendid evening in all the rooms of the county seat. The next day - on the morning of August 30 - a whole flood of people set off in a long line of cars to the memorial column on Zobor Hill. Most of the audience was in state Hungarian. Mortars were pounding under the castle hill, while Imre Bende, Bishop of Nyitra, celebrated a solemn mass next to the memorial column with a large number of priests, and later gave a pastoral address in full episcopal regalia. After that, Minister of the Interior Dezső Perczel gave a speech, after which Ernő Schober, the national representative of the Galgóczi district, read out the document on the inauguration of the memorial column, which was placed in the county archives. The literal text of this historical document is as follows: ; Celebrating the thousand-year anniversary of the existence of the Hungarian state, under the glorious reign of His Imperial and Apostolic Majesty Franz Joseph and the prime ministership of Baron Dezső Bánffy of Losonczi, in 1896, the legislature - in eternal memory of the historical fact testifying to the grace of divine providence and the state-maintaining power of the Hungarian nation - ordered, at the initiative of Member of Parliament Kálmán Thaly, that at seven points in the country: on the castle hill of Munkács, on the Cenk hill in Brasó, on the Zobor hill in Nitra, on the castle roof in Dévény, in Puszteszer, in Zimony and in Pannonhalma, a permanent sign of the patriotic devotion of the descendants should be erected. ; This monument, which was inaugurated on August 30, 1896, in the presence of the Hungarian Royal Minister of the Interior, Dezső Perczel of Bonyhád, the members of the National Assembly, the Lord Governor of Nyitra County, Vilmos Thuróczy, and a large number of celebrating spectators, and which was built according to the design of the technical advisor Gyula Berczik, is intended: on the one hand to immortalize the memory of the occupation of Nyitra Castle and the surrounding areas by the armies of Árpád the Brave, and on the other hand to proclaim from this mountaintop all over the country, up to the border of the homeland in Bércz, down to the Danube, to the east and west, that the people of this region, who have taken this memorial stone into their careful custody with reverence, although foreign in language and customs, are always loyal members of the nation in sentiment, an unshakably reliable support for the homeland. ; Proclaim on these memorial stones, for time immemorial, to both countrymen and foreigners, and stand with this lofty calling, while the homeland stands! ; Finally, Lieutenant István Craus, with a patriotic speech, took over the memorial column into the care of the county. The departing military company fired volleys, then Lieutenant Craus handed Minister Perczel a gold copy of the coins minted for this occasion, distributed silver coins among the dignitaries present, and copper coins among the people. At noon, a 400-table dinner was held in the military tent camp located under Zobor Hill, at which His Majesty, the king, was the first to be celebrated by Minister of the Interior Dezső Perczel, and the homeland by Norbert Francsics in an enthusiastic toast. And then many blessings were said for the country and its great leaders, during which a joyful folk festival was held on Zobor Hill with ox roasting, music, and dancing. ; The millennium commemoration ended on December 30, when the portrait of the apostolic king Franz Joseph I, painted by the painter Arthur Ferraris, was unveiled in the county assembly hall. This ceremonial assembly was also presided over by Vilmos Thuróczy, the chamberlain and chief steward, and the ceremonial speech was given by vice-governor István Craus. At that time, the general assembly elected a large delegation, which it entrusted with the task of His Majesty appearing before the king on behalf of Nitra County, and on behalf of the public of the county, to thank the king for providing the means and opportunity for the painter Ferraris to paint his portrait for the county, and at the same time to hand over the 34 gold weight gold coins minted for His Majesty, in addition to the medals minted on the occasion of the inauguration of the Zoborhegy memorial column. (...) This delegation carried out the mandate it had won on May 20, 1897, in Budapest, in the royal castle, where His Majesty the king received the people of Nitra present and, with a respectful speech, accepted the gold commemorative medal presented by the chief Thuróczy with extraordinary grace. At this solemn, supreme reception, Vilmos Thuróczy, the royal chamberlain and chief, gave the following speech: ; Majestic Emperor and Apostolic King! Our Most Gracious Lord! We have appeared before Your Majesty's highest presence on behalf of the people of Nitra County to express our most humble gratitude for the highest favor that Your Majesty has most graciously deigned to show to our county by ensuring the success of the portrait that was solemnly unveiled in the seat of our county on December 30 of last year, and by Your Majesty's direct most gracious consent when it was painted. While we would like to express our deepest gratitude to Your Majesty for this favor with most humble respect, in accordance with our mandate, we also use this fortunate occasion to present here, in connection with the repeated expression of our subject's respect, the commemorative medal made from the national monument erected on the peak of Nitra-Zoborhegy in memory of the thousandth year of our country's statehood. May Your Majesty be pleased to accept it most graciously. ; We thank Divine Providence for having sustained and intensified our Hungarian state during the thousand years, amidst so many misfortunes written in history and experienced, and we turn to our God with feelings of gratitude that we have been able to live this thousandth year, which occurs only rarely in the life of nations, under the just scepter of Your Majesty, whose wisdom coupled with his kindness of heart strives for the happiness of his people and whom his grateful nation surrounds with unbreakable loyalty and radiant love. On this occasion, too, with our innermost true feelings, we pray to the Lord of the universe to grant Your Majesty, for the further prosperity of our sweet homeland and the happiness of our nation, a long and happy life, safe from all dangers, in sound strength and health! ; After the cheers following the speech had subsided, His Majesty responded as follows: ; The loyal attachment of the people of Nitra County to me is very dear to me, and I see proof of this in the fact that they had my portrait made for the county council hall, and it is a source of joy to me that I was able to contribute somewhat to the success of the portrait. ; I accept with gratitude the medal made for the national monument erected on the peak of Nitra-Zoborhegy on the occasion of the thousandth anniversary of the founding of the country from your hands, and I am convinced that the people of the county will preserve that national monument with patriotic devotion. ; Please convey to the people of the county my cordial greetings and the assurance of my unchanging favor. ; His Majesty's reply was received with enthusiastic cheers by those present, whereupon His Majesty graciously dismissed the delegation. ; All the memories of the thousand-year-old past, all the hardships, struggles, glory, triumphs and sorrows, were graciously renewed and strengthened the national self-awareness in this county, the love of cultivating the ancient Hungarian virtues, and with a trusting heart, it led Nitra County into the second regiment of national historical life, with the three sacred mottos of the ancestors: For God, for the King, for the Homeland!