On 24th June 2020, a statue unveiling ceremony was held in the park of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, where the statues of Dr Adorján Bartha and Dr Tamás Szent-Iványi made by András Kontur sculptor, were placed in honour of the memory of their outstanding work in the field of veterinary medicine.

The event was opened by Dr Péter Sótonyi, the rector of the university. In his speech, he emphasized that it is an honour to pay obeisance to our great predecessors in the field of veterinary medicine. The head of the university highlighted that the past 234 years has given us a lot to appreciate, solid roots to remember. The twenty-first and twenty-second statues had been made to commemorate the outstanding work of professors of the past centuries.

“We have great hope that our past and recent scientists will be followed by the next generation,” said the rector.

The arts were unveiled by Dr Péter Sótonyi, Dr László Fodor, Head of Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and András Kontur.

The ceremony was continued with the wreath-laying. At first, Dr Péter Sótonyi and Dr László Fodor commemorated the statue of professor Rezső Manninger, the former mentor of Bartha and Szent-Iványi, who was born 130 years ago. Then in the name of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest and the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases wreaths were placed at the statues of Bartha and Szent-Iványi professors. After that, Dr Béla Nagy and Dr Tibor Magyar, representing the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Veterinary Sciences of the Agricultural Science Research Center, placed their wreath. In the end, representatives of the professors’ families, Dr Adorjánné Bartha, Dr Tibor Bartha, Marica Bartha, and Gabriella Szent-Iványi placed their festive wreaths on behalf of their relatives.

The sculptures of Dr Adorján Bartha and Dr Tamás Szent-Iványi were funded by public donations.

For more photos, visit our gallery.