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GULYÁS ATTENDS UNVEILING OF RENEWED PETŐFI TOMB

 

The renewed tomb of 19th century Hungarian poet and revolutionary Sándor Petőfi’s family was inaugurated in Budapest’s Fiumei Street Cemetery on Saturday, in a ceremony attended by Gergely Gulyás, head of the Prime Minister’s Office. “We must remember so that we can appreciate freedom,” Gulyás said, and referred to the late poet as a figure “holding up a mirror to remind us that Hungarians all belong together in freedom”. The shrine, built in 1911, contains the ashes of Petőfi’s parents, István Petrovics and Mária Hrúz, his widow Júlia Szendrey, his son Zoltán, and brother István. Petőfi himself died in battle on July 31, 1849, near Segesvár (now Sighisoara, Romania). His body was never recovered. The renovation project was financed by producer Philip Rákay and his wife.