Buza Péter: Spring and Fountains - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1994)

The first "genuine” ornamental fountain when it stood in its

ORIGINAL PLACE IN KÁLVIN TÉR

the following summer amidst the great interest of the Pest public. The climactic event of the by then regular processions to the capital was the transportation of the 100 tonne rock from which the central basin was to be carved. The enormous stone was brought from Budakalász. A multi-axle cart was made especially for the purpose-the axles themselves weighed a tonne each-and flying several flags it brought the stone accompanied by thousands of onlookers. Transportation expert Ignác Schön charged 2,300 golden forints for the manoeuvre. (The same cart played an important role in the beautification of Budapest on one more occasion when it carried, in the twenties, the heroes’ memorial stone to Hősök tere (Heroes' Square].)

The sculptural decorations were designed by Leó Feszler and carved by Béla Brestyánszky, while the ornamental motifs were chiselled by Vilmos Marchenke. To quote a report carried by a paper after the unveiling of the work, the artist had made “a sculptural allegory for each of Hungary’s largest four rivers, with which he lent a national character to the stone

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