Debrecen4U October 7, 2025

Debrecen commemorated the martyrs of Arad

The Municipality of the City of Debrecen held a commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony on October 6, 2025, on the occasion of the Memorial Day of the heroes of the 1848-49 War of Independence, the generals of the army who were executed in Arad on October 6, 1849.

The ceremony began with the raising of the Hungarian flag and lowering it to half-mast on Kossuth Square, then the commemoration continued at the “Haldokló oroszlán” (Dying Lion) Monument in Honvédtemető, where Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs gave a speech.

“It is 176 years since on this day in 1849, thirteen army officers in Arad and Count Lajos Batthyány, the Prime Minister of the first responsible Hungarian government, gave their lives for the country. The figure of Batthyány shines particularly brightly in Hungarian history: he was the first independent, responsible leader of the Hungarian government, who made timeless merits in the Hungarian civic and national transformation. Their martyrdom has become an eternal symbol of the nation’s desire for freedom, courage, and perseverance,” Ákos Balázs said.

“It is no coincidence that for us, Hungarians, most of our national holidays are about freedom. About the freedom that was temporarily won and then lost. Because freedom, as we see it in our history, is never a state of rest. We always have to struggle and fight for it. Because freedom, just as it was once, is not given easily in this part of Europe today. We always have to deal with it, both as individuals and as a community,” the deputy mayor underlined.

He emphasized that the city of Debrecen occupies a special place in the history of the War of Independence. Debrecen was the heart of the nation; this city was the temporary capital of the country during the Hungarian War of Independence, the National Assembly met here, the Habsburg dynasty was proclaimed dethroned, and the decisions that determined the future of the nation were made here. The city leader put it as follows: “Debrecen is not only a witness but also a part of the history that was sealed by the blood of the martyrs of Arad.”

“The martyrs tell us: love of the homeland, steadfast loyalty to it, and sacrifice are the most solid foundation on which a nation and a country can be built. Let us bow our heads today before the martyrs, remember them with dignity and gratitude, and carry their legacy forward in a worthy manner in our hearts and in our actions,” he concluded his thoughts.

The commemoration continued with the laying of wreaths at the grave of General József Nagysándor and then ended with the laying of wreaths at the József Nagysándor memorial plaque placed on the wall of Recruiting Office No. 2 (Péterfia Street 58/A).

Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu