Via Sancti Martin

In Pannonhalma, in the centre of the town, there is a synagogue built at the end of the nineteenth century, which is currently being beautifully restored from the outside, but which is currently not in use and cannot be visited from the inside, either for religious or tourist purposes. It was the site of an impressive sculpture by György Chesslay, depicting huge books upturned in front of the gate, erected to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust in Hungary. The erection of the work of art, which commemorates the Jewish victims of the village and the surrounding area, was initiated by the Karzat Cultural Centre Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of National Cultural Heritage, the National Cultural Fund Programme, private individuals, the Jewish Community of Győr, E-On North Transdanubian Electricity Company and Pannon-Víz Ltd. As in all, even perfectly indifferent, lists in general, I am shocked by the adjective 'national': if that 'nation' had really behaved as a nation in 1944 (and already from 1918), this monument would not have been necessary.

(Source: István Csuhai)