Corgoň

What sets Slovakia apart from other Eastern European Cities is not just Fresh air and Beautiful women. When someone says Slovakia, the Image of Corgoň comes to mind.

This statue is situated in the Nitra City, Slovakia. This was brought to life by the Eminent sculptor Vavrinec Dunajský in 1820.Vavrinec Dunajský also built the The Church of the Holy Cross with its picturesque figurines of the Virgin Mary and Magdalene. Such great is the reverence of work that to this date parents name their daughters Magdalena. Magdalena Sebestova and Magdalena Rybarikova are few of these famous Magdalenas from Slovakia.

According to the local legend, that Corgoň was a metalworker in an Upper town in the area around the town of Nitra. He was a mighty man of a stocky build, his arms were muscled in particular. Whenever he hit the anvil with a hammer, the whole Upper town would quake. Once the Muslims from Turkey invaded the Nitra castle, surrounded it, attacking it with constant raids. The defense grew thinner with every new raid. The attackers were just about to climb the castle line when Corgoň appeared straight from the forge. He started rolling down huge stones, which brought chaos among the Muslims. However, what scared them off more than the stones was the gigantic build and coal-black smoke-filmed face of Corgoň. Seeing him, they set off for an immediate run. He was believed to be seen extracting those huge stones from a slope assisted by evil spirits. That was how the Upper town managed to face up the first Muslim attack successfully. The statue of Corgoň would embody the invincible power of this local metalworker forever. There is a simile applied to someone who shows great power in the area surrounding Nitra which says to be as mighty as Corgoň. The hero of the legend of Corgoň is the statue of Atlant. According to a certain Greek legend, Atlant was the son of Titan Jaspetos and gods punished him for his wrong doings in a form of columns that he had to hold upright forever as to keep the sky from falling. Later on Atlant was depicted carrying a globe on his shoulders.

The artistic concept of the Atlant in Nitra lies in a symbolic holding up the entire floor, which might have its origin in a myth about Corgoň whose bravery kept the Upper town safe from the Islamic raids.