Inscriptions of Budapest

Anonymus notarius

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The following monument created by Miklós Ligeti (1871 - 1944) in 1903 stands on an island of the Municipal Grove Lake (Városliget tó), near the pseudo-medeval, romantic Vajdahunyad castle, which was built specially for the 1896 World Exposition taking place in Budapest. The castle was to present all Hungarian architectural styles in one building. Nowadays it is an agricultural museum (Mezőgazdasági Múzeum).

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Miklós Ligeti is one of the most important Hungarian sculptors of the 19th and 20th century. It is all the more incomprehensible that up to now (May 2008) Wikipedia has not consecrated an article to him in other European languages than Hungarian.

This is a very original monument because it honours a man whom nobody knows. The equals sign of the inscription might make you believe that Anonymus was that man’s name, but it only means that he has stayed anonymous, i.e. unknown. To tell the truth, one should remove the equals sign from the inscription and translate "The most glorious king Bela’s unknown secretary". The large coat and hood intentionally cover everything that might give an impression of personal identity to a "normal" visitor. Nobody knows this man, and nobody knows what he looked like. Nevertheless this anonymity hides a real, but unknown person (the first letter of whose name seems to be "P"). As our inquisitive camera reveals, Ligeti took account of this fact by creating a well-formed face under the hood.

This monument honours the unknown author of the Gesta Hungarorum (The Hungarians’ Achievements), an important chronicle of early Hungarian history from the beginning of theit settlement in the Danube and Thissa plains up to Stephan I's coronation (Szent István, Saint Stephan). The chronicle is written in Latin as you can see on the above photos. According to what we know today, the Gesta blend historical facts and persons with fictive and and fairy ones.

Several Hungarian kings were named Béla. This one may be Béla II, who reigned 1131-41, or Béla III, because we do not know the chronicler's exact life-time.

Erecting a sculptural monument for a man whose identity is unknown was a daring or at least astonishing venture motivated by the great importance that this man’s historiographic work is given by the Hungarians.

Bibliography

References

To write this page I mainly used German resources. If you understand German, see the German version of this page.

Arrival by Public Transport

For the arrival in Budapest see Inscriptions in Budapest.

To go to the Vajdahunyad castle you best take the millennium line of the subway (metró). Exit at Hösök tere and cross the place in the direction of Kós Károly sétány. Then there are two options: Either cross the little park lake using this street and then keep to the right, and cross another bridge to get to the castle, or at once surround the lake on the right side and enter the castle using the left hand bridge.

Indications concerning the arrival correspond to our personal knowledge or even experience, but we cannot assume any responsibility for their rightness. When you are reading this page, things may have changed in reality.

Zsolnay Ceramic

Thanks a Lot!

We really appreciate Charlotte Chamitoff's photos, which give us a splendid impression of the Anonymus ceramic.

Hans-Rudolf Hower 2003, 2012

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Last updated: April 4, 2016