The final resting place of Count Imre Mikó of Hídvég in the historical Házsongárd Cemetery in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) has been recently renovated, including a frame of white ornamental stone. The restored historical grave was inaugurated on Thursday at a commemorative event, local media reported.
The Házsongárd (known also by its German name Hasengarten, or Haselgarten) is one of the oldest and certainly the most renowned and picturesque graveyards in Kolozsvár. It was founded in the 16th century by the city administration, following a severe outbreak of the plague. In the centuries that have since passed, generations of outstanding personalities, politicians, writers, historians, scientists, explorers, army officers, and artists, as well as remarkable public and ecclesiastical figures of the Transylvanian community, have been buried in the cemetery.
Count Imre Mikó of Hídvég (1805–1876) was born in the village of Zabola (Zăbala, Gebissdorf), located in the Háromszék (Three Seats) Region of Szeklerland. He grew up to be one of the most prominent figures of 19th-century Hungarian aristocracy and of Transylvanian political life. He made his mark in Hungarian history as a remarkable statesman and historian, with an expertise in cultural and economic policies.
He was Governor of Transylvania in the revolutionary year of 1848, from November 14, 1848, until December 22, 1848. The second time he held this office was from December 10, 1860, until November 21, 1861. Furthermore, he was Minister of Public Works and Transport in Hungary, from February 20, 1867, until April 21, 1870.
Mikó was a thinker with a progressive mindset and is commonly referred to as the “Széchenyi of Transylvania.” (Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék is widely considered one of the greatest statesmen in Hungarian history, hence the parallel – editor’s note.).
The final resting place of Count Mikó was restored by the Házsongárd Foundation, with the help of the Hargita County Council and the Hungarian Government. The Házsongárd Foundation has been restoring and salvaging historical graves, funeral monuments and crypts for the past two decades. Among other participants, transindex.ro reported that the memory of Count Mikó was honored at the Házsongárd event by Hargita Council President Sándor Tamás; Zsuzsa Szebeni, the director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute of Sepsiszentgyörgy; Erzsébet Tőkés, the President of the Házsongárd Foundation; Viktor Dávid Kőrösi, Consul of Hungary; and the Chancellor of the Director’s Board of the Transylvanian Reformed Church’s Diocese, Sándor Gáll.
Title image: Honoring the memory of Count Imre Mikó, near his renovated grave.
Source: MTI
