I read that there is another "fire" in the town hall in Hódmezővásárhely! Now a crane should be allowed in a street so that the significant hospital development can be realized.

Also quoted from Attila Borsodi's article: "This is not the only scandal that has arisen around Péter Márki-Zay in recent days. It also caused a lot of trouble

the left-liberal mayor of Hódmezővásárhely is asking for almost HUF 140 million in order to erect a crane necessary for the development of the hospital in one of the streets.

The contractors cannot pay this brutal item, so the development can be interrupted. The Fidesz organization in Hódmezővásárhely asked Mayor Péter Márki-Zay in a statement that if he cannot help, at least not hinder the development of the city and the hospital.

However, Márki-Zay does not give in for the time being, he claims the huge amount requested for the construction of the crane necessary for the construction of the hospital, and believes that there is enough money in the investment to pay the fee.

János Lázár, the Fidesz parliamentary representative of the region, was indignant when asked by Promenád.hu:

"anyone who now takes from those fighting on the front line of the fight against the epidemic, instead of giving, is like shooting his own in the back".

Once again, the "red star fire" is destroying - only now in a figurative sense - the City Hall , as it did 50 years ago, when it burned down twice within half a year. Once the tower, then on the afternoon of March 5, 1971, the roof of the hall of the town hall, which finally collapsed onto the rows of benches, but before that, the paintings, books and other objects of historical significance of the town were evacuated!

Yes, I was there, along with many of my fellow soldiers who volunteered and fought with the firefighters, from the barracks, from the 120 newsmen - today from the MH 5th István Bocskai Rifle Brigade. Extinguishing (fire fighting) was still very difficult, because it was so extremely cold that the fire water froze.

We handed out the extinguishing water in buckets in a row, going up and those who were in front also sprinkled the water on each other in the unbearable heat, we saved the objects that way, the water later froze on us.

My grandfather was a fireman, and I was even more proud of him after that. I may well remember the names of some of my fellow soldiers who were there with me; László Németh, Pál Stefanovits, Imre Oresko, Imre Dobai, and maybe Major Mizsey were our leaders.

Wet beams and debris also fell into the hall of the town hall in Hódmezővásárhely from above, but the fire was no longer burning and we saved the valuables, just as we also passed the buckets out in a chain, the town hall was saved despite the frozen fire water!

Although the fire was kept secret, it was probably caused by a fault in the power line of the red star lighting on the tower.

Pictures from the fire incident 50 years ago, from the Digital Archive of the Hungarian Nation, can be seen:

Mr. Péter Márki-Zay was born almost exactly 1 year after this incident, but ... occupying the center of the hall, he does not call the people of Vásárhely for the help needed to renovate a hospital, but we read about a road closure.

Hódmezővásárhely is connected not only to the continuous series of commemorations of the 11 months of military service, but also to the participation of designers and other results, thanks to which, for example, the House of Folk Art and the János Tornyai Museum Exhibition can still be visited today.

Hódmezővásárhely is also connected to the fact that it is also a Hungarian city , owned by Hungary, where a contractor now has to renovate a public health institution within the framework of a state program, but for this, of course, he would have to use a street. A street where everyone has free access, except now for a crane. (Could the state buy a street in one of Hungary's cities from itself with a state right of pre-emption?)

If a mayor's opinion regarding developments does not coincide with the government's intentions, then, in my opinion, he should find another way to express his opinion.

As young soldiers from Budapest, we didn't ask if the Ady Endre road was closed from the barracks, or if that road should be closed instead of putting out the fire, but we went in an emergency procession to help and put out the fire with the firemen, and I remember that, together with the residents. , for the city, the values, the future!

József Kiss, Károly Kós prize-winner leading designer, monument protection expert, landscape and garden architect.

Cover image: Past