Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony presented honorary citizen’s titles to artists, writers, journalists, politicians and academics, and handed out prizes for public service on Monday.
Recipients of the honorary citizenship titles bestowed in 2020 included the city’s former mayors, Gábor Demszky and István Tarlós.
Addressing the ceremony, Karácsony described the past year as “one of the most difficult years in the city’s history”.
“Though the coronavirus pandemic was a real test of strength for everyone, it also showed us the true face of Budapest,” the mayor said. “This city has always been one of revolutions and one that looks to the future, but the crisis has shown that we can be very disciplined, that we can look out for each other and act as one big family and a strong community.”
Karácsony said Budapest was proud of the award recipients.
In addition to the honorary citizen’s titles, Karácsony also handed over the Pro Urbe Budapest Awards, the For Budapest Awards, the Gábor Zalabai Equality Award, the For the Capital Memorial Flag Award, the Dr. Sándor Barna Commemorative Medal and the For the Service of the Capital Award.
In the featured photo (from left to right): Deputy mayor Erzsébet Gy. Németh, Mayor Gergely Karácsony, and actor Balázs Galkó. Photo by Attila Kovács/MTI
