The Holy Crown

The Holy Crown is the most important Hungarian national relic, the symbol of Hungarian statehood. According to the Admonitions of King Stephen I, the Holy Crown represents the country, the kingdom, the king, the faith, the church, and the attributes and virtues of a sovereign. He wrote to his son, Prince Emeric: “The measure of virtue completes the crown of kings.” The composition is completed by further coronation regalia, the sceptre, and the orb and the cross. Ever since the 40th Flower  Carnival it has become a tradition for towns in Hungary and beyond to receive this float: the Holy Crown has visited Budapest, Balatonfüred, Eger, Pécs, Oradea, Cegléd, Kecskemét, Székesfehérvár, Gyula and Tiszafüred, and the Hortobágy Equestrian Days in 2017. The composition is a regular visitor to Esztergom, where it is blessed on
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August) by Cardinal Péter Erdő, the Archbishop of Esztergom.
This year, the float was presented in Csíkszereda, alongside the composition of the legend of Saint Ladislaus.
The Holy Crown is accompanied by the HDF 5th István Bocskai Infantry Brigade Military Band, and historical flags and folk groups.

Designer and sculptor: Róbert Nádasdi
Floral designer: Ágnes Simon
Structural engineer: Zoltán Domokos
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

“Give us this day our daily bread”

The joint flower float of Hajdú-Bihar County Government and Bihar County Council

The Hungarian Hajdú-Bihar County and the Romanian Bihor County evoke the Lord’s Prayer in the title of their joint float in this year’s Flower Carnival. The composition picks up the theme started last year, when the topic of wine was emphasized, and not by chance, either: the Ier River area – Érmellék in Hungarian – is the wine region closest to Hungary, and that is why it has been traditionally regarded as “the vineyard of Debrecen.” The affinity of communities in this historical region is indicated by the bread depicted on the float, which stands for life as well. Just like wine, wheat is pictured in the coat of arms of both countries, since in the Hungarian national anthem the image of the “ripened wheat” is a divine blessing given to the Hungarians.

We can see the old, traditional family model on the float: parents, children, and the wise old man, to whom an angel is holding out a loaf of bread representing life.

The leaders of Hajdú-Bihar and Bihor Counties aim to strengthen the good relationship and to realize further fruitful cooperation between to two counties.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designers: István and Istvánné Antal
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss

The legend of Saint Ladislaus

The flower float of the Ministry of Human Capacities

The first finished composition of this year’s Flower Carnival was the float accompanying the relic of Saint Ladislaus. The last petal was pinned onto the creation of Debrecen-based artist Sándor Pikó and his co-creators on 5 May, 2019. Then this rolling symbol of Christianity started its 900 kilometres long pilgrimage from Somogyvár, Hungary. It travelled through Debrecen and Oradea to finally arrive in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, to honour the visiting Pope Francis on 31 May and to present in the form of a flower statue a scene from the legendary Battle of Cserhalom (today Chiraleș) from the 11th century. According to the legend, the knight-king, Saint Ladislaus, charged after a Cuman warrior who had abducted a Hungarian girl, but their horses remained but the distance of a spear from each other, until the girl – acting on the instructions of the king – dragged the
Cuman to the ground, and he was finally killed by King Ladislaus.

The float depicting these heroic deeds calls attention to the preservation of religious traditions and the strengthening of community belonging across the borders.
The float’s message is: We have to take a stand to protect the Christian faith even in the 21st century.

This float is one of those that have been inspired by a former creation from the history of the Flower Carnival. Its “ancestor” could be seen by the audiences of the 1992 Carnival. Thanks to the University of Debrecen for their help in the realization of this flower composition.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designers: István and Istvánné Antal
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss

Let us all go to Debrecen

Debrecen is the city of the sun and light, but for this week, it is also the city of flowers. When designing the composition, our top priority was emphasizing the play of light.  The coat of arms of the city, created like a stained glass window, has by now become the symbol of the Debrecen Flower Carnival. The phoenix represents Debrecen’s ability to recover from every adversity and destructin. The sun is the symbol of immortality and strength.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designer: Ágnes Simon
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Traditions

The joint flower float of Oradea and Debrecen

Traditions are the most remarkable attributes that make each culture unique. That is why we love, treasure and try to keep them alive. This year’s joint flower float of Debrecen and Oradea is celebrating the remarkable and similar traditions of the two cities. However unique these elements of one’s identity are, they are also binding cultural features of the two communities and have to be one of the cultural bridges different neighbouring communities need to build between one another.

The two dancing couples are presenting traditional local costumes. The Romanian one is specific for the Beiuș region, the waistcoat being the inspiration for fashion powerhouses like Dior. The Hungarian couple is wearing a costume decorated with traditional Hungarian embroidery typical of Kalocsa, which is known for its uniqueness: in drawing and in colour the same motifs cannot appear twice.

Both traditions are wielded thorough music. As a universal language, traditional music has been changed and reinterpreted along centuries, absorbing and incorporating local customs. The instrument joining the two couples in dance is the horn violin, a unique instrument of the Beiuș region.

Designer and sculptor: László Balogh
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Beáta Sápi
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Debrecen and Paderborn: sister cities for 25 years

The joint flower float of Debrecen and Paderborn

This year Debrecen and Paderborn in Germany celebrate the 25th anniversary of being sister cities. To commemorate this rare occasion, they are featuring the two cities’ most significant symbols: the phoenix represents Debrecen, while the peacock stands for Paderborn. The flower composition has been inspired by a 2004 creation, also by the two cities, which honoured their cultural heritage, albeit in a different form.

Debrecen bears the symbol of the phoenix in its coat of arms, and the bird has become an integral part of the city’s history, both physically and metaphorically: while Debrecen was a victim of fire outbreaks on multiple occasion, it always managed to overcome adversity and rise from its ashes, and, thanks to the perseverance of its inhabitants, it has grown into an ever so strong cultural and economic center.

According to the legend, when the relics of Liborius of Le Mans were transported from Le Mans to Paderborn, the envoys were accompanied by a peacock, who showed them the way. On Pentecost Sunday in 836 A.D. the peacock settled on the spire of the Paderborn Cathedral. As soon as the pilgrims entered the church with the relics, the peacock, having completed its divine mission, fell from the spire, dead. Today, a tail feather from a peacock reminds us of the legend at the reliquary.

Designer and sculptor: Gábor Pózner
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Beáta Sápi
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

The dance of the White Lion and the Red Lion

The joint flower float of Toyama and Debrecen

Toyama Prefecture, famous for its culture and natural resources, is surrounded by a 4000 meters high mountain range and a 1000 meters deep bay.

Japanese actors visited our city for the first time in 1982, led by Mecénás Prize awardee KOIZUMI Hiroshi. Since then, on 120 occasions, more than 1800 artists from Toyama and 700 artists from Debrecen and Hajdú-Bihar County have taken part in an exchange program covering all art genres.

The 90 members of the choir and band of Demachi Junior High School from Tonami – a city famous for its tulips – accompany the joint flower float of Toyama and Debrecen, which is the seventh such float in 37 years. The composition depicts a nó theatre scene from the 14th century, titled: The dance of the White Lion and the Red Lion. The white-maned lion father pushes his red-maned cubs off a cliff so that they can learn how to get back up on their own.

The elevated dance scene – which was traditionally performed at harvest celebrations – represents the symbolic fight between Winter and Summer constantly replacing one another.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designers: István and Istvánné Antal
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss

Ambassadors of Flight

The flower float of Diehl Aviation

Diehl Aviation is a leading supplier in the international aeronautics industry, developing and manufacturing avionics and cabin integration. Our clients include such large aerospace corporations as Airbus or Boeing.

Out of the 17.000 Diehl employees nearly 6.000 work at Diehl Aviation worldwide, with the company’s headquarters located in Laupheim, Germany.

When expanding the company, Diehl has already chosen Hungary twice; once in 2011, when we could be among the first ones in the country to learn the technology of manufacturing aircrafts in Nyírbátor. Thanks to the success of our manufacturing plant there, a second decision in 2018 led to the establishment of an engineering and service center in Debrecen, which offers unique career opportunities to as many as 150 highly qualified professionals in the aviation industry.

In the centre of the float of the Nyíregyháza Agricultural College in the 1975 Flower Carnival was an aircraft, and we since are all about aircrafts here at Diehl Aviation, it was self-evident that we were going to use this composition as an inspiration for our own float for the 50th Flower Carnival.

Designer and sculptor: László Balogh
Floral designer: Marianna Lovas
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

The pride of the city: capitals in Debrecen

The flower float of the Schaeffler Group

The Schaeffler Group is a global supplier in the automotive industry. By delivering high-precision components and systems in engine, transmission, and chassis applications, as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications, the Schaeffler Group is shaping “Mobility for tomorrow” to a significant degree. Since 1999 FAG Hungary has been part of the globally significant network of the Schaeffler Group as their production site in Debrecen, and, at the same time, the European capital of tapered ball bearings. The basic principle of the Schaeffler Group is: “global actor with a local presence.” The company is involved in the support of motor sport on an international scale, therefore, it supports motorcycle speedway, among several other sports, in Debrecen as well.

Debrecen was seen as the capital of motorcycle speedway for decades. This glory has faded somewhat in the past years, but now there is a chance for the city to regain its former position as, with the support of the Schaeffler Group, speedway in Debrecen can once again become a significant part of European motor racing.

With our flower float we would like to honour the more than seven decades of bearing manufacturing in Debrecen, by carrying on with motorcycle speedway.

Designer and sculptor: Róbert Nádasdi
Floral designer: Marianna Lovas
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Fashion is forever

The flower float of FÓRUM Debrecen shopping center

FÓRUM Debrecen has been the leading shopping center of the region for more than 10 years now. With nearly 120 shops, FÓRUM offers a wide selection of domestic and international brands, while excellent restaurants and cafés contribute to recreation at its fullest. A majority of the shops have been renewed in the past two years in the 10 years old FÓRUM, new restaurants and shops have opened, to better answer the changing demands of customers.

The shopping center in the heart of Debrecen has rightly become a popular meeting place for families and young and old alike. The shopping center regularly offers a wide variety of events as well.

FÓRUM Debrecen is synonymous with the latest fashions, which includes the biggest fashion brands as well. This year’s flower float features a flower composition, featuring a gigantic pair of shoes and a handbag – which are important parts of a lady’s outfits –, represents the world of fashion. It will be worth visiting FÓRUM in the autumn too, since besides exciting events and large sales, autumn is about fashion as well.

We are very proud to enter out 11th flower float to the Debrecen Flower Carnival, a time-honoured event which is being organized for the 50th time this year.

We look forward to welcoming you in FÓRUM Debrecen!

Designer and sculptor: László Balogh
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Ágnes Simon
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

The flower float of Continental

The flower float of Continental

Continental – more than 240,000 passionately committed people who realize the dream of mobility every day for customers and users in 60 countries and markets. That is how we create sustainable value. We give our very best every day to achieve this.

At Continental, each employee acquires four basic company values, which form the roots of our corporate culture: Trust, Passion To Win, Freedom To Act, and Working For One Another. We are convinced that only in an environment shaped by those values can essential and pioneering services, solutions and input be created.

As a technological company we will soon open our newest factory in Debrecen, where vehicle electronical components will be produced. We have asked for the help of Debrecen youth to design our flower float, who have inspired the final composition with their drawings based on a flower float from 1967. The cart and the galloping horse symbolize Continental’s passion to drive intelligent solutions targeting clean propulsion and green traffic.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designers: István and Istvánné Antal
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss

Together we do more

The flower float of Krones

Krones arrived in Debrecen over a year ago, and since then they have almost managed to finish their entire factory here. Besides being the first ones to establish themselves in the Southern Industrial Park of Debrecen and hiring hundreds of employees, they organized the first Krones forklift competition, had a movie night for the city at Krones Film Night, and opened the Krones Career Center in the city center.

Krones’ flower float has been inspired by a composition from 1996 and it represents belonging and improving together, an attitude that has been developed by the more than 90 subsidiaries and 16,000 employees through the years. The swimming baby dolphin supported by the dolphin parents represents the dynamic development of the Debrecen subsidiary, for which the perfect example is the fact that the company is taking an ever bigger part in the everyday life of Debrecen and provides more than 600 jobs in a number of different positions for the inhabitants of the city.

“Just like the dolphins, the employees of Krones work together, supporting each other, for the common goals.”

Designer and sculptor: István Abai-Nagy
Floral designer: Marianna Lovas
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

“The 424 of the DSZC”

The flower float of the Vocational Training Center of Debrecen

In 2019, the Vocational Training Center of Debrecen (DSZC), encompassing eleven institutions, is in the process of renewal as one of the leading educational centers of the region.

With the establishment of the center in 2015, our aim was to raise the numbers of qualified workforce through our trainings, and, as a result, to strengthen Debrecen’s strategic position. Our Career Center established this year creates a bridge between qualified professionals and companies seeking workforce on the labour market. The Vocational Training Center has, in the past few years, increased the selection of courses on offer based on the needs of companies, and those looking to embark on training courses or to change careers can now choose even from the professions of the future.

Our fundamental principle is: “We are working on the technologies of the future, based on traditional foundations.”

The locomotive featured on our float represents this idea, and, at the same time, honours the technological wonders of the past that revolutionized transport. The industrial revolution, beginning with the steam engine, brought about never before seen technological changes, just like we are witnessing the fourth industrial revolution happening around us today. Our flower float represents the dynamism of this change.

Sculptor: Róbert Nádasdi
Floral designer: Marianna Lovas
Structural engineer: József Éles
Designer and constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Animal protection and innovation

The flower float on E.ON Hungária Zrt.

The genuine Hungarian vizsla and the robot dog featured on the float, and the playful relationship between the two represent, on the one hand, the energy company’s animal protection program, which helps dogs as well, and the harmony of nature and innovation.

The company believes in a sustainable future, which is unimaginable with innovative, digital solutions.

E.ON is delighted to enter this flower float to the Flower Carnival, a community event with a long history and one the company has been supporting for several years now.

On the 50th anniversary of the Carnival, E.ON is honouring flowery creations of the past: this year’s float has been inspired by a float of the University of Debrecen from previous years.

Designer and sculptor: Gábor Pózner
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Ágnes Simon
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Regeneration

The flower float of TEVA

TEVA has always taken an active part in the community life of Debrecen and by now has become a staple of the Flower Carnival. Their float this year has been inspired by a creation from 2013: just like then, the composition now is defined by the combination of red, white and green, representing Hungarian identity and belonging. To signal TEVA’s unchanging commitment to medicine, the theme of the flower float remained the same: a series of cute characters – a pill, a phial, and a tube – rush to repair a broken Miska jug decorated with the typical motif of the snake, representing healing and health. The composition perfectly represents TEVA’s commitment to healing and its mission to improve the lives of even more patients by becoming a global leading manufacturer of generic and biological medicine. Through innovation, creating values and the knowledge of their experts, TEVA’s aim is to help millions of patients worldwide access affordable medicine that restores that health, just like the helpful little figures on the flower float heal the broken Miska jug.

Designer and sculptor: László Balogh
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Ágnes Simon
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Responsibility in everyday life

The flower float of A.K.S.D. Urban Management

A.K.S.D. Kft. has become one the most visible companies of the city in the past 27 years, since its establishment in 1992, as locals encounter daily some of our more than 400 employees from different branches of the company. The company is responsible not only for tasks related to waste management, but also for park management, public sanitation, and cemetery maintenance as well.

Our float this year has been inspired by one of our previous floats, since protecting our environment is our top priority, especially when it comes to preventing the decline in the population of endangered species. On our float designed for the 50th Flower Carnival polar bears represent everything humanity needs to protect, since it is an enormous challenge to face climate change and take genuine steps to save our planet.

Our company is taking steps against global warming and the pollution of the oceans, and to promote sustainable development and consumption, since we believe that the future is in the hands of our children, and as such, we have to pay special attention to their environmental education. The colour green on the float represents the work ahead of us that makes it possible for Earth to remain liveable.

Designer and sculptor: Sándor Pikó
Floral designers: István and Istvánné Antal
Structural engineer: Péter Kiss

thyssenkrupp KangarooGO – Jump into the future with us, Debrecen!

The flower float of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft.

Strength, balance, dynamism – For thyssenkrupp as an automotive company these are important attributes and they were featured as well in the composition of previous flower floats. For the 50th Flower Carnival we have chosen the kangaroo to represent all this. Why? Kangaroos can jump as high as 9 meters. This extraordinary achievement requires perfect balance, stability and dynamism. In our Debrecen facility, where we manufacture coil springs and stabilizers, we are working to ensure that our products provide stability and dynamism in vehicles and thus give a sense of comfort and safety to passengers.

The automotive segment of thyssenkrupp employs more than 2000 people in five facilities across Hungary: in Debrecen, in our competence center in Budapest, in our plants in Győr and Jászfényszaru, and in our latest greenfield site in Pécs. Just like our composition created for the Flower Carnival, our facility established in Debrecen highlights that we would like to become a key figure in and a keen supporter of the dynamic development and economic stability of the city. We welcome new colleagues in our facility in Vezér utca every single day. And with this flower composition we would like to say thank you to every single employee at thyssenkrupp for their everyday work!

Designer and sculptor: Róbert Nádasdi
Floral designers: Marianna Lovas and Beáta Sápi
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás

Debrecen, the busy city

The surprise flower float of the city of Debrecen

To make one kilo of honey, bees need to collect nectar from at least two million flowers – it is even hard to imagine! Just as 15 years ago it was hard to imagine the Kölcsey Center, the renewed Open-Air Theatre or the Stadium in the Great Forest of Debrecen. Debrecen is a busy city, and thanks to its perseverance and close cooperations it is always growing, developing, and becoming financially
stronger – this is the message carried by the largest flower composition this year.

This is not the first time that bees and their petal-like wings are featured in the carnival procession: this year’s float has been inspired by a creation from 2004. On the occasion of the 50th Flower Carnival in Debrecen, the organizers have re-imagined a creation each from the past two generations to celebrate this time-honoured event and all those who have ever helped to make it happen. The float featuring busy honey-bees is one worthy of being evoked here, since it is easy and pleasant for Debrecen locals to identify with what it stands for. Just like in a family of bees, everybody can find their own responsibilities, purpose and home in Debrecen.

Designer and sculptor: Róbert Nádasdi
Floral designer: Marianna Lovas
Structural engineer: Imre Bodó
Constructor: Tamás Gulyás