Description
The Nagycenk National Memorial Site is an outstanding location for Hungary’s history and cultural heritage, which is integrally related to the life and work of István Széchenyi, known as the “greatest Hungarian”. Once the home of the Széchenyi family, the Széchenyi mansion in Nagycenk now functions as a museum, highlighting the spirit of the Hungarian Reform Era and Széchenyi’s multifaceted activities. The park and famous lime tree alley which form part of the Memorial Site are not only expressions of natural value, but also symbolise the link between past and present. Nagycenk is also special as it is Széchenyi’s final resting place, and thus the village has become a sort of pilgrimage site for those wishing to express their respects for this great figure of Hungarian history. The Memorial Site presents and preserves this heritage, which contributed to Hungary’s economic, social and cultural development, and continues to play an important role in the country’s national identity.
Front: The front depicts the joint coat-of-arms of Count Antal Széchenyi and Zsuzsanna Barkóczy found on the facade of the Széchenyi mansion, with the Széchenyi family’s Latin motto “SI DEUS PRO NOBIS QUIS CONTRA NOS?” (If God is for us, who can be against us?) in a raised horizontal band below it. The circular legend at the bottom front reads “MAGYARORSZÁG” (Hungary), with the denomination “5000 FORINT” and the mint mark and mint date “BP. 2026” in two horizontal lines above this.
Back: The back features a view of the Széchenyi mansion in the outlined centre field, with the gardens comprising part of the cultural landscape of the Fertő/Neusiedlersee World Heritage Site in the foreground. The circular legend in the outer ring on the back reads “NAGYCENK • SZÉCHENYI-KASTÉLY MŰEMLÉKI EGYÜTTESE” (Nagycenk • Széchenyi Mansion), with the legend “NEMZETI EMLÉKHELY” (National Memorial Site) below this and the emblem of the national memorial sites to the left and the master mark of the designer Ferenc Lebó to the right.
