Schöne Náci (grammatically correct as Schöner, translated as Handsome Náci/Ignác), real name Ignác Lamár (1897–1967), was a legendary figure on the streets of Bratislava and in its cafés and pastry shops. His contemporaries remembered him as a poor but always elegant, exceptionally polite, kind, and good-hearted man. He wore a tailcoat, patent leather shoes with spats, and a top hat, carried a walking stick, and sported elegant gloves as his trademark accessory. Whilst walking around Bratislava, he would respectfully greet passers-by and occasionally break into song.
His youth is believed to have involved studies in shoemaking or confectionery, but he later worked as a theatre propman and stagehand. He also helped women in their households by beating carpets, carrying coal, and such tasks. Eventually becoming a lonely and forgotten man, Ignác Lamár died in hospital in Lehnice. Although his funeral took place at the local cemetery, in accordance with his wish to be laid to rest in Bratislava his remains were transferred in 2007 and interred at the Ondrejský Cemetery in Bratislava.
Today, Schöne Náci is commemorated at the intersection of Rybárska Brána Street and Main Square in Bratislava by a sculpture created by the sculptor and professor Juraj Meliš. The life-size, stylised, rather caricatured aluminium figure of the typically smiling Schöne Náci in a tailcoat and flowing scarf stands atop a grey stone pedestal. His right hand leans on a second grey stone pedestal, while his left hand raises a top hat in greeting to passersby.
Ceremonial unveiling of the work took place on 26 July 1997 as part of the Korzo Party event that marked completion of the fourth stage of the renovation of the Old Town pedestrian zone. Two other works of art were unveiled nearby on the same day – the statues Napoleonic Soldier (also by Professor Juraj Meliš) and Čumil (by the artist Viktor Hulík). The original plan to create further similar works was later abandoned.
The statue Schöne Náci has been vandalised several times, requiring repeated restoration and relocation along Rybárska Brána Street.
The statue is a popular landmark for tourists, who often have their photograph taken under Náci's top hat. Similarly to the nearby Čumil, it has become the subject of various modern legends, superstitions, and stories – all readily told by tourist guides.
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Research status as of 15. 06. 2023.