The Great Reformer

This statue of the great reformer Istvàn Szechenyi (1791-1869) looks over the Danube from his place in the wall, the river which he spanned with the first permanent bridge, now named after him. He was a politician, theorist, writer and one of the greatest statesmen of Hungary. An example of his reforms was the establishment of the Academy of Sciences by donating the annual income from his estates.