The funerary monument of Zielinski Szilárd is one of Bory Jenő’s most successful portrait memorials, preserving not only the likeness of the deceased engineer but also his most important works.
The funerary monument of Zielinski Szilárd, in Plot 10/1 of Kerepesi úti Cemetery in Budapest, was made by Bory Jenő in 1932 with the collaboration of the architect Gyula Wälder. The memorial commemorates one of the outstanding figures of the Hungarian engineering profession and is among the protected monuments of Fiumei Road Graveyard.
Zielinski Szilárd (1860–1924), engineer and professor at the Technical University, was one of the pioneers of reinforced-concrete construction in Hungary. His name is associated with numerous landmark technical works, and he is regarded as one of the first Hungarian doctors of engineering. In the history of Hungarian engineering, he earned particular and lasting merit through introducing reinforced-concrete structures in Hungary.
The funerary monument is a sarcophagus-shaped structure of grey granite, decorated with four bronze reliefs. One relief depicts Zielinski’s portrait in a bronze medallion, while the other three represent technical works among his most significant engineering achievements. The reliefs show the Budapest Freeport, the water tower on Margaret Island and the Brassó–Fogarasi Valley Viaduct.
With this solution, Bory Jenő preserved not only the deceased’s features, but also summarised his entire oeuvre. By presenting the works, the memorial emphasises that Zielinski’s achievements are enduring values of Hungarian technical culture. This concept is rare among Bory’s funerary monuments and particularly apposite for an engineer whose reputation was founded on his buildings and engineering structures.
An interesting detail connected with the funerary monument is that in 1932 Bory Jenő offered a plaster likeness of the engineer, made from his death mask, to the Hungarian Museum of Technology.