Prestigious award to Dr. László Magas, President of the Pan-European Picnic ’89 Foundation

This year's awardees carry out their work with great dedication and commitment, which contributes to the well-being of our county. This year, Dr. László Magas, certified forest engineer, president of the Pan-European Picnic '89 Foundation, former main organizer of the Pan-European Picnic, and honorary citizen of the city of Sopron was awarded with the Blue Ribbon.

Dr. László Magas was a defining figure in the political transition in Sopron at the end of the 1980s and an active shaper of the events. His name is associated, among other things, with organizing the demonstration for the abolition of the workers' militia, locating of the unmarked graves of the condemned victims of the 1956 protest in Mosonmagyaróvár and organizing their reburial, organizing the Pan-European Picnic, which became one of the symbols of the regime change. He was actively involved in the erection of the World War II memorial and was the first to contribute to the costs necessary for the realization of the memorial.

His most important social mandate is also connected to the spirit of the Pan-European Picnic; since 1998, he has been the president of the Pan-European Picnic ’89 Foundation. From the regime change until 2019 – except for one term – he was a municipal councilor, committee chairman, and faction leader.

For his service, which made the Pan-European Picnic and the breach of the Iron Curtain possible, the President of the Republic awarded him the Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in 1999. In 2009, he was honored with the Pro Silva Hungaria state award for his professional work for the Hungarian forests.

2021 Dr. László Magas was awarded with the most prestigious honor by the General Assembly of the City of Sopron with County Rights, the title 'Honorary Citizen of the City of Sopron'.