Géza Kresz

The native form of this personal name is szemlőhegyi Kresz Géza. This article uses the Western name order.
Géza Kresz
Born (1846-08-30)30 August 1846
Pest, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire
Died 10 April 1901(1901-04-10) (aged 54)
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary
Known for founding the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Society, organizing the ambulance system in Budapest

Géza Kresz de Szemlőhegy (30 August 1846 – 10 April 1901)[1] was a Hungarian physician, founder of the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Society and the Pest Skating Club.

Early life

Kresz was born in Pest to Carl Kresz, a son of a fruiterer from Merseburg, who fled to Hungary to avoid impressment,[2] and a daughter of a bookseller. He was the youngest of the six children of the couple.[3] He studied for physician and earned his medical degree in 1871 in the University of Pest.[4]

Work

Kresz first worked as a general practitioner and later became a health officer in the 5th district of Budapest. In 1876 the law for organization of ambulance institutions was enacted, by that it became the responsibility of the police, thus the central district police stations were operating as the first ambulance stations. However, this system could not cope with the increasing number of tasks in the period of indrustialization, and to be able to carry out the rescue missions, Géza Kresz founded the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Society (Budapesti Önkéntes Mentő Egyesület, BÖME) in 1887, utilizing the model that was used in Vienna since a few years.[3]

In the coming years he established the organized ambulance system, actively participated in the elimination of cholera and organized the supply of Budapest with breast milk.[5] In 1890 the Ambulance Palace (Mentőpalota) was erected on the proposal of Kresz. This was one of the first buildings in Europe that was built as an ambulance station and it still serves as the headquarters of the National Ambulance. The building process took one and a half year and was financed by the donations wealthy citizens. In the yard were found the stables with hayloft and the horse-drawn ambulance coaches. Kresz also had his residence in the Ambulance Palace, where he lived with his family in the second floor.[3]

The second wing of the building was handed over in the second part of the 1890s. The bedrooms of the residential employees, the storage rooms and the Ambulance Museum was placed here. Kresz collected and systematized the instruments and other memorabilia to create this special museum, which is still unique in Europe.[3]

As a devoted fan of ice skating, Kresz played pioneer role in popularizing the sport in Hungary. On his initiation was founded the Pest Skating Club (Pesti Korcsolyázó Egylet) in 1869 and he set up the first skating rink, the City Park Ice Rink, on the frozen lake of the City Park.[6] Ice skating quickly became a beloved sport, which is shown that the number of skating club members grew from 35 to 432 in the first year.[7]

Later life and legacy

Kresz's grave at the Kerepesi Cemetery

In the 1900s a series of ambulance stations were created in Hungarian cities and villages, for them the example to follow was the Budapest Voluntary Ambulance Society.[3] For his merits he was ennobled by Franz Joseph on 24 December 1900 and was given the name de Szemlőhegy (Szemlőhegyi).[4] In his crest is seen a lion that holds the coat of arms of the National Ambulance, while on the shield are three oak leaves, symbolizing his sons, and three lilies, symbolizing his daughters.[5] He died on 10 April 1901 and was buried in the National Graveyard in Budapest. The Ambulance Museum has been renamed in the honour of Kresz, a street in Budapest bears his name and a plaque remembers him by the Ambulance Palace.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "Géza Kresz Biography". Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon (Hungarian Biographical Encyclopedia) (in Hungarian). Hungarian Electronic Library. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "Géza Kresz Biography" (in Hungarian). Hungarian Academy of Sciences – KFKI Research Campus. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "165 éve született Dr. Kresz Géza" (in Hungarian). ekor-lap.hu. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Meghalt Szemlőhegyi Kresz Géza a korcsolyázás elkötelezett híve" (in Hungarian). huszadikszazad.hu. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Tisztelet a mentőknek! (Kresz Géza emlékezete)". Hungarian Press Agency (in Hungarian). egeszsegkalauz.hu. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "Városligeti Műjégpálya, Budapest XIV." (in Hungarian). Épülettár. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  7. ↑ "Műjégpálya" (in Hungarian). varosliget.info. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Géza Kresz.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.