| Alessandro Monti |
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| (Debrecen, Déri Museum) |
The Italian Department of Humanities at the University of Debrecen considers important to strengthen the presence of Italian culture in the city, in addition to teaching and scientific work at the university.
The presence of Italian culture is indispensable in the diversity of the university and the city's cultural offerings, the professional knowledge granted by the university provides an excellent opportunity. To carry out this cultural organizing-mediating activity, the Italian Department created the Monti Circle, which has renewed almost centuries of tradition.
Colonel Baron Alessandro Monti (1818-1854) arrived in Debrecen in May 1849, where Lajos Kossuth, Governor-General, was appointed commander of the Italian Legion. Colonel Monti and his 1100-strong legion heroically fought the war of independence, their stewardship and their exemplary self-sacrifice were attested to by the following lines of August 1849 letter to Colonel Monti: "... he has demonstrated a legion of the legion to Hungary to which my nation will always be grateful remember. "
The commemoration of the commander of the Italian legion was indeed a special honour in Debrecen.
He was chosen by his name as an Italian-based Italian-friendly association for two decades (1929-1947), a Monti Circle that promoted the Italian culture with a rich and diverse program offering and Italian-Hungarian friendship, which put together the intellectuals and the Italian-speaking community, which counted almost a hundred people.
At the invitation of the Circle, Debrecen arrived at the Baroque University of Milan, Alessandro Augusto Monti, the granddaughter of Colonel Monti, who in 1935 donated his grandfather a bronze bust of the city, which is still in the Déri Museum.
The memory of the former commander still lives in Debrecen: from 1929 he was named after Colonel Monti Street between Burgundy and Ötmalom streets.