World War I & II Memorial

The representative body of Bük village chose the work of art of the Sopron-based master stonemason and sculptor Béla Mechle submitted for the call for applications to create the memorial, which was inaugurated on 29 August 1924. The sculpture made from sandstone from Margitbánya is 6 metres high and contains a sculpture composition consisting of a marble-clad pedestal. The inscription reads “In glorious memory of our heroes perished in World War I, 1914‒1918” and two lines from the poem “Szózat” (Summons) by Mihály Vörösmarty below. The figures in the statue depict Hunnia, the female embodiment of Hungary; “Hungaria”, and a dying soldier. It was renovated in 1988 and, thanks to the teacher-local historian József Szabó, World War II (1939‒45) heroes from Bük were added: “The inhabitants of the village of Bük pay a tribute to the honourable memory of those who perished in the World War between 1939‒1945 and were martyred.” The plaque on the back of the memorial includes the names of Roma and Jewish forced labour victims and those perished because of the war in Bük as well. In 2015, it was renovated again under the supervision of master stonemason Ferenc Popovits.