The first public sculpture in Józsa, made in memory of Béla Lévai, a linguist and local historian, who died in 2010, was unveiled by Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs and local government representative Tamás Majer on Monday, October 25, 2021 at 3 pm in Józsa, Szentgyörgyfalvi út.
Béla Lévai had several members of the scientific society and also won the “Man of the Year” award of the American Institute of Biography. To this day, it has a significant impact on the younger generations, as the textbook Our Residence – Józsa, written by Béla Lévai, provides an excellent basis for schoolchildren to get to know Józsa’s history in detail, said Deputy Mayor Ákos Balázs. Who added: In recognition of his decisive role in the life of Józsa, its independent image and the formation of local identity, as well as his outstanding work in local and Hungarian scientific life, I initiated the placement of the bust of Béla Lévai in Józsa.
The bust made of bronze is the work of Munkácsy Prize-winning sculptor Juha Richárd. József Goretity, associate professor at the University of Debrecen, recalled his former colleague in this way: he tried to present the peculiarities of human thinking through language.
After the unveiling of the work, the students of Zsuzsanna Lórántffy Primary School in Debrecen and Tamás Garay Nagy, the artist of the Csokonai Theater, gave a show, followed by the blessing of Pastor Zsolt Gacsályi, and the participants placed a wreath at the statue.
The ceremony closed with the screening of a documentary about Béla Lévai in the community house.
Debrecen City Hall Press
