A special place among Bory Jenő’s First World War memorials is occupied by the heroes’ memorial in the old town of present-day Dunaújváros, formerly Dunapentele.
The work was unveiled on 16 November 1924 and can still be seen built into the wall of the former school building, later home to the Szórád Márton Primary School. The idea of creating the memorial arose in 1923, when János Hubay, retired colonel and representative of the National Committee for Perpetuating the Memory of Heroes, asked the village authorities to establish a worthy monument to local heroes killed in the First World War. The first proposals proved too costly, so the village ultimately chose a simpler but artistically more demanding solution. In June 1924 the representative body commissioned Bory Jenő, who presented his plans and estimate personally before the assembly.
Bory Jenő chose a distinctive architectural-sculptural solution. Instead of erecting a freestanding public statue in the settlement’s centre, he integrated the memorial, about six metres high, into the school façade. This was particularly eloquent, as the names of local people who gave their lives in the war were placed on the wall of the institution serving the education of the settlement’s young people. The central figure is a relief of a soldier, surrounded by name plaques serving heroic remembrance. A total of 153 Dunapentele war dead were inscribed on the marble plaque, making the work both a sculpture and a named site of commemoration. The inscription reads: ‘There they rest, heroic sons, after raging battles.’ This brief, lyrical sentence expresses the work’s mood, which gives priority not to martial glory but to remembrance and reverence.
The unveiling ceremony on 16 November 1924 was attended by important public and military figures. The Regent was represented by General vitéz megyeri Károly Raics, and the ceremonial address was delivered by Member of Parliament Gyula Csöngedy. On the occasion, the flag of the local Levente Association was also consecrated, showing that the memorial became an important centre of the settlement’s community life.
From an art-historical viewpoint, the Dunapentele memorial differs from many of Bory Jenő’s other war works. Whereas 69th Forward!, the memorials at Mór and to the 17th honvéd present monumental freestanding compositions, here the artist based his work on the unity of building and sculptural decoration. This outlook, combining architectural engineering and sculpture, is a distinctive feature of Bory’s work and is especially effective in this creation.
The memorial’s importance is shown by the fact that it underwent a full restoration in 2007, in connection with the school’s centenary. Thanks to this restoration, it still fittingly preserves the memory of the heroes of Dunapentele and remains one of Dunaújváros’s most important First World War memorial sites.