The monument to the Hungarian defenders of the Pøemysl fortress in Budapest is a monumental commemoration of the sacrifice of the soldiers who defended both the Pøemysl fortress and the Russian Army's route to Central and Eastern Europe, including Budapest, at the beginning of the First World War. Indeed, the fortress, one of the largest in Europe, was of key strategic importance in the Austro-Hungarian defence system against the Russian invasion. The siege, which began in September 1914 and with a short break in the second half of October 1914 lasted until March 1915, ranks as one of the longest in the annals of war. Among the defenders were many Hungarians, including soldiers from the Nagykáta and Tapiomont areas. With the surrender of the fortress, nine generals, 93 staff officers, 2204 officers and 113,890 privates were taken prisoner. Shortly afterwards, on 31 May, Austro-Hungarian and German troops again attacked and recaptured the fortress. Although the Hungarian soldiers were not its only defenders, their participation was significant and heroic.

The concept of commemorating the sacrifice of the defenders of the Przemyśl Fortress was born while the war effort was still in progress. Szilárd Sződy, the creator of the monument, recalled: "We started considering the idea of erecting a monument in Přemysl together with the castle command and the local authorities already after the first siege. At that time I was appointed to develop a project that was to reflect the glory of the liberation in a dignified manner, and it was recommended that the castle management immortalise the project in bas-relief. I therefore drew up a plan and models of the plaques for the command, anticipating their realisation after the complete liberation of the fortress". In 1925, a commission was formed to erect the monument. In addition to organisational activities, its members considered the lion motif to be the most appropriate to commemorate the events of Przemysl with dignity. On 17 August 1927, the Przemysl Memorial Committee obtained permission from the Ministry of the Interior to start fundraising for this project. In 1930, having raised sufficient funds, the Committee decided not to adopt the earlier design, but announced a competition for the concept of the monument. The competition attracted 17 artists who submitted a total of 24 designs. The competition committee limited the participation of the submitted designs to only those artists who had fought in the First World War. Despite the wide range of proposals, none of the designs were initially accepted by the evaluation committee. Six artists were therefore invited for further consultation, including Szilárd Sződy, as well as Károly Cser, Viktor Vass, György Nemes, Lajos Petri, István Gách.

The realisation of the monument to the Defenders of the Przemyśl Fortress gathered pace after the official approval of the design by Szilárd Sződy. Only the images of the fortress commanders were excluded from the project. The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place on 13 November 1932 and brought together a number of prominent guests, including the Minister of Finance, Béla Imrédy, and Mayor Aladár Huszár. The location of the monument was not accidental; it was placed in front of the house of the commander of the Přemysl fortress, Arpad Tamásy. It was to him that the Russian commander General Leonnid Artamonov is supposed to have addressed the monument, saying "Your troops fought like lions, and your excellency is a lion of lions".

Description of the monument

The monument in the form of a full-figured cast-iron figure of a lion situated on a high stone plinth. The figure of the roaring lion is shaped dynamically. Slightly raised, it puts its front paws on a cannon barrel and a banner lying on the wooden fortifications of the earthen rampart of the Przemyśl fortress, next to which a broken oak trunk is visible. On the four sides of the pedestal are engraved inscriptions filled in with gold paint: PRZEMYŚL, and on the Danube side: PRZEMYŚL / 1914-1915 //.

Inscription on the pedestal of the monument: PRZEMYSL VÁRÁBAN / HŐSI HALÁLT / MAGYAR VÉREINK / DICSŐ / EMLÉKEZETÉRE / EMELTÉK / A BAJTÁRSAK / A SZÉKESFŐVÁROS / KÖZÖNSÉGÉNEK / TÁMOGATÁSÁVAL / 1932 / "KÜZDTENEK / OROSZLÁNKÉNT" / MAGYARORSZÁG / VÁRKAPUJÁBAN / LEGYEN A PÉLDA / ÖRÖK. //.

On the Danube side, at the foot of the pedestal, an angled plaque from 2000 with an engraved inscription: TISZTELETTEL ÉS KEGYELETTEL / PRZEMYSL VÁRÁBAN HŐSI HALÁLT HALT / MAGYAR VÉREINK EMLÉKEZETÉRE / 1915-2000 / HONVÉDELMI MINISZTÉRIUM / A MAGYAR MILLENNIUM KORMÁNYBIZTOS HIVATAL / PRO LIBERTATE ALAPÍTVÁNY //. At one time there was still a stone wreath attached to the pedestal and a place where commemorative wreaths could be hung during state ceremonies.

By decision of the Capital Assembly on 28 September 2011, the park around the monument is named after Géza Gyóni, poet and one of the defenders of the fortress.

Symbolism of the monument

The sculpture combines realism with elements of stylisation and is characterised by attention to detail, such as the realistically reproduced musculature of the lion or the meticulous rendering of the structure of the destroyed fortifications.

The lion, a universal symbol of strength, courage and steadfastness, in the context of the monument personifies the bravery of the defenders of the Przemyśl fortress, alluding to the words uttered by a Russian general to the commander of the fortress. The trampling of the fortifications by the lion refers not only to their physical destruction caused by the siege, but also to the symbolic sacrifice of the defenders. This part of the composition emphasises that the victory of spirit and survival in the face of adversity have a profound effect on future generations, reminding them of the enormous price paid by soldiers for freedom and sovereignty. The wooden rampart, the cannon barrel and flag, and the broken oak tree - these details not only enrich its aesthetics, but also bring additional layers of meaning. The wooden rampart symbolises the defensive structures of the fortress, the cannon barrel symbolises the readiness to fight, and the flag by the front leg of the lion is a reflection of patriotism and national pride. The broken oak symbolises the tragic end of the heroic defence of the fortress and the sacrifice and dedication of the soldiers. Together, these elements pay tribute to the courage of the soldiers and their unwavering spirit.

The creator of the monument

Szilárd Sződy (1878-1939), a sculptor born in Nagykáta, graduated from high school in Budapest and then studied at the State School of Applied Arts. Drafted into the army in 1914, he was sent to the Przemyśl fortress as a second lieutenant. During his stay in the fortress, Sződy created 48 plaques depicting officers serving in the fortress. The artist even lived to have a studio in besieged Przemyśl. Although his works were confiscated by the Russians, he managed to preserve the plaster casts. They are now in the Museum of Military History in Budapest. They were probably intended to be on the monument to the defenders of Przemyśl, the design of which was commissioned by the deputy mayor of the city back in 1915. After the fall of the fortress, Szilárd Sződy was taken into Russian captivity for 38 months and then exiled to Siberia. During this time he produced some 180 watercolours and 200 plaques, documenting camp life. In 1918, he managed to return to his homeland. In the 1920s and 1930s he realised, among other things, monumental compositions, plaques and cemetery monuments. From 1921 he was also an art teacher at the Teachers' College in Budapest.