Name Dezso Magos | ||
Life
He was born in Balassagyarmat on 1. March 1884, as child of Adolf Munk and Rezi Straszberger (Stresser?). He died on 10 June 1944 in Aszod.
Contents
Architect, designer and builder. He graduated as a master architect in 1913. His major works include the town beach, the Country Flag of the Ipoly-Region, he designed the first church of Salesian Order in Hungary. His name is associated with the construction of the City Hall, expansion of several buildings of the Hospital, the construction of the Women' s Psychiatric Ward, the Casino, the Police Department and the Gendarmerie, the Palace of Finance, the Roman Catholic parsonage, the slaughterhouse, and a pedestrian bridge on the river Ipoly. He became member of the Chamber of Engineers in 1930.
Dezso Magos built several military objects for the Army (Hungarian Defence Force) between the two World Wars with the satisfaction of the Supreme Command (such as the barracks in Retsag and Petervasara and fortresses of the "Arpad Line" in the Carpathian mountains near Korosmezo (today: Jasyna, Ukraine)). Because of his social sensitivity for his co-workers and his generous financial support, he was widely respected throughout the city. Many young intellectuals were taken up by him and employed in his companies such as Zoltan Reti the future painter, conductor.
In the 1920s when he baptized, his godfather was Pal Baross, relative of the former 'Iron Minister' Gabor Baross, brother of Jozsef Baross de Bellus, main county head of Nograd County. The man who appointed Jozsef Baross first to be the deputy county head of the County was vitez Aladar Huszar de Barat who began his career as a hero of World War I and a racialist Hungarian. He became main county head of Nograd County in 1919 and later mayor of Budapest. He was a confidence man of Regent Miklos Horthy during the failed attempt to extricate Hungary from the Axis alliance. From the beginning of the 1940s he gained general interest with his declared anti-Nazi publications. That's why on 16 October 1944 he was arrested by the Arrow Cross and later executed in the concentration camp of Dachau. County-head Baross was also imprisoned to the prison of Balassagyarmat.
Jozsef Baross who had very good connections to the highest circles took out the "protection" of Dezso Magos, one of his favourite card partners. According this - although he has wear a yellow star he could walk free and he was exempted from closing to the ghetto.
He was deported despite he was baptized earlier, he gained protection and lived free. Jozsef Kamaras town-historian wrote in his memoirs that at their last meeting Dezso Magos (Munk) told him: "My friend Jozsi, you know what I did for this city" On the last day, in 10. Juny 1944 he was dragged together with the Jewish community. He committed suicide in the wagon when they reached Aszod.