Miska, the 13-meter-high symbol of Hungarian heroism

Whenever you are driving on the motorway M7 in Hungary, that connects Budapest and Lake Balaton, sacrifice some time to admire Miska, the 13-meter-high symbol of Hungarian heroism, at the town of Pákozd. It will demand only a half-an-hour detour, but taking a couple of selfies with the world’s biggest tin soldier statue will be a nice memory indeed. To be completely honest, I also passed it a few times before, having no time to pull in, but when I did, I wasn’t disappointed at all. In fact, I felt even a little remorse not to do so earlier. The statue itself was primarily supposed to proclaim the readiness and braveness of Hungarian hussars back in time, and it also symbolizes the power of unity. Regardless of Miska being the most loyal and fearless Hungarian soldier, don’t let this stop you from meeting him as a foreigner. I’m sure he won’t be against some likeable photos for social media.

Pákozd

Pákozd, 8095 Magyarország

Miska Hussar Statue, Pákozd

Pákozd, Pákozd, Unnamed Road, 8095 Magyarország

The tallest such statue worldwide

As I already made a reference to it, Miska hussar is the tallest tin soldier in the world with his 13,01-meter height. Until its official inauguration in 2017, a certain Canadian tin soldier counted as the tallest such statue worldwide. This particular statue is situated in a Canadian town called New Westminster and is supposed to commemorate Hans Christian Andersen’s famous “Hardy Tin Soldier”, of which height is accurately 9,75 meters. Today, this record is associated with Hungarian Miska though, who is the biggest pride of citizens of Pákozd. But why Pákozd, what’s the connection? Let me quickly explain it.

Back in the middle of the 19th century, Hungarians fought for freedom against the Habsburg Empire. During this bloody 1,5-year-long war of independence, the battle at Pákozd ended as one of the most successful events of all. According to historical records, about 27000 Hungarian hussars encountered with roughly 40000 Austrians, Croatians and Serbians – and achieved a victory. Ever since Hungarians recall this event from their history with pride. Therefore, it was quite straightforward that the monumental statue must be placed here.

A proud giant with considerable measures

Pákozd, by the way, is located only a few-minute drive from Lake Velence, so with a well-planned journey, you will be able to get to know Miska, the 13-meter-high symbol of Hungarian heroism, and on the other hand, you can easily fall in love with Hungary. Anyway, the whole procedure of the so-called Miska project’s implementation took more than ten years and consumed not less than 100 million Hungarian forints - just to emphasize its considerable measures. I won’t say you will regret for a lifetime not stopping to see Miska, but it’s really a waste not to do so if you have the opportunity. This proud giant made out of 150 tons of concrete will surely leave you in amazement.