By creating a promenade lined with bronze relief columns, the municipality of Siófok pays tribute to exceptional figures associated with the city.

Mayor Róbert Lengyel announced Wednesday on his Facebook page that, pursuant to a decision made by the local council in recent days,

the columns to be installed along the planned promenade between the Main Square and the train station will honor the notable figures of this lakeside town: artists, athletes, and public figures.

The first column, featuring a portrait of Ferenc Rákóczi II—who granted Siófok the right to use its coat of arms—will be completed in time for the city’s anniversary celebration in November, funded by the municipality, while the rest will be erected next year with support from companies and private individuals, he added.

A proposal regarding the Siófok Walk of Fame states that the paved promenade could be lined with up to twenty columns, ten of which would be completed by the first half of 2027, and the rest by 2028, marking the 60th anniversary of Siófok’s designation as a city. Depending on the bids received, the first ten sculptures will cost between 14 and 20 million forints.

Patrons may select the famous figures to be featured in the portrait gallery from a recommended list.

The list features the Roman emperor Galerius (c. 250–311), who is credited with the first regulation of Lake Balaton, as well as József Beszédes (1787–1852), a hydraulic engineer who laid the infrastructural groundwork for the construction of the modern Siófok marina and the subsequent emergence of the spa town; and István Széchenyi, who, by initiating steam navigation on Lake Balaton, helped transform the city into a modern transportation and tourism hub.

Also among the notable figures associated with Siófok are József Eötvös (1842–1916), a politician, writer, and Lake Balaton’s most important literary chronicler, Henrik Glatz (1845–1905), the founder of the modern resort town of Siófok; and Lajos Lóczy Sr. (1849–1920), a geographer and the organizer of research on Lake Balaton.

Other famous natives of Siófok include composer Imre Kálmán (1882–1953), known as the “King of Operetta”; Lajos Thanhoffer (1843–1909), a physician, academician, and pioneer of histological and microscopic research in Hungary; Imre Varga (1923–2019), a Kossuth Prize-winning sculptor; and Nándor Németh (1999–), a European champion and world championship medalist in swimming.

The list of famous figures also includes writer Gyula Krúdy (1878–1933), who spent many summers in Siófok, and writer Frigyes Karinthy (1887–1938), who died in the town on the shores of Lake Balaton.

Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels