150 years of organised fire departments in Hungary

Count Ödön Széchenyi laid the foundations for organised fire departments in Hungary, with the recruitment of the first volunteers and creation of professional associations and finally the nation-wide collaboration of different associations across Hungary. As a result of this efforts, the Hungarian Firefighters Federation, the legal predecessor of today’s Hungarian Firefighter Association, was established in 1870. In Hungary, Firefighters Day has been officially celebrated on 4 May since 1991, in commemoration of Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters.
In consideration of the significance of this anniversary the MNB (Central Bank of Hungary) will release a silver commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 10.000 entitled „150 Years of Organised Fire Departments in Hungary”.
The central motif ont he front of the collector coins is a composition of a decorated helmet above two crossed fire axes, with an arch-shaped inscription of the fire deparament motto „DICSŐ MÚLTBÓL A MÉLTÓ JÖVŐBE!” (From a glorious past to a worthy future!) above and MAGYARORSZÁG (Hungary) below.
Ont he reverse, positioned int he centre is a representation of Saint Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, under an arch-shaped legend „150 ÉVES A SZERVEZETT MAGYAR TŰZOLTÓSÁG” (150 Years of Organised Fire Departments in Hungary), with the horizontal legend SZENT FLÓRIÁN (Saint Florian) int he foreground below. Saint Florian was a Chrisian martyr and is the patron saint of firefighters. The cult of Saint Florian became popular in Central Europe int he late Middle Ages. According to the legend, he is believed to have saved a house from complete destruction by a dreadful fire when he was a child. The collector coin features a typical representation of Saint Florian standing int he uniform of a Roman officer, holding a flag in one hand and a bucket of water int he other, extinguising a small house on fire.
The edge is fine-reeded with the repeated lettering „ISTENNEK DICSŐSÉG, EMBERNEK SEGÍTSÉG!” (Glory to God, help to men!)
The collector coin „150 Years of Organised Fire Departments in Hungary” was designed by the artist István Holló.