On Monday, on the anniversary of the birth and death of Gábor Bethlen, the Gábor Bethlen College in Nagyneyedi started the commemorative year of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the educational institution.
As part of the ceremony, a molino was placed in the courtyard of the college, on which, in addition to the aerial view of the imposing building complex, the year of the foundation (1622) and the year of the 400th anniversary (2022) as well as "Fjedelem, a fundamentum stand!" password is displayed. The molino was placed on a firewall under the molinos depicting the coat of arms of the college and the church district.
In her celebratory speech, Helga Lőrincz, deputy mayor of Nagyenyed, emphasized that Gábor Bethlen recognized the importance of mother-tongue education and built a college during the wars, which today, even during the pandemic, preserves the spirit of its founder. The essence of this spirit was exemplified by the prince's catchphrase: "You can't always do what you need to do, but you must always do what you can."
Oana Badea, the liberal mayor of Nagyenyed, recalled: she herself attended a kindergarten in one of the buildings of the college, while her mother taught Romanian at the school. Therefore, he has felt the spirit of the place since his childhood. He expressed his hope that it will be possible to understand and introduce the importance of the college to those Nagyenyedians who are not connected to the institution in the same way as he is.
Ildikó Szőcs, the director of the school, said: the modified verse of Lajos Árpily, the former teacher of the school, was written on the molino. The poet spoke about the fundament in the past tense.
"We came to report that the foundation is in place and it is possible to build on it. (.) When necessary, we can all be together, with one thought, one heart, so that this college has a future worthy of its past," said the director.
Ildikó Szőcs told MTI: during the commemorative year, they are preparing to organize a scientific session, a conference, and a meeting of Vendians. The main event is planned for September 2022.
The school, originally founded in Gyulafehérvár in 1622 by Prince Gábor Bethlen, was moved to Nagyenyed almost half a century later, after the Tatar invasion. The school's buildings in Nagyenyed were demolished and rebuilt several times. The current 19th-century complex was able to be renovated after the Reformed Church, which sued the nationalized buildings, came to an agreement with the city government. The church waived the rent for 25 years, and the city raised the cost of the complete renovation of the building complex with an EU tender. The splendidly renovated building complex was handed over in 2016.
The college is the sustaining institution of the Hungarian community in Nagyenyed. In the 2011 census, 15.8 percent of the population in the small town with 16,600 inhabitants identified themselves as Hungarian.
MTI
Photo: MTI/Gábor Kiss
