Like Miami: Hungarian town builds spectacular laser cannon sending beams to space every day – PHOTOS

Ózd, a Northern Hungarian town close to the Slovakian border and well-known for its former industrial production units, would like to earn a prominent place on Hungary’s tourism maps. Therefore, they built a laser cannon sending beams to the sky from a chimney. One of the chimney’s purposes is to commemorate the town’s industrial past. Another is to draw public attention and tourists to Ózd. However, not everybody is happy. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the national park’s directorate do not support its operation, but the mayor is not convinced.

Spectacular laser cannon built in Ózd

Dávid Janiczak won Ózd, a town in North Hungary, first in 2014 as the mayoral candidate of Jobbik. In 2019 and 2024, he won again. In June, his team overcame Fidesz 8 to 7 in the local council. That means his majority in the council is small.

In October, Janiczak presented something totally new to the locals of Ózd. The town was known for its forge and lignite mines. Thanks to its industry, the town’s population grew to almost 50 thousand by the 1980s. When socialism collapsed, unemployment grew significantly, and a quick depopulation began.

That is what Janiczak and his allies would like to stop and create a modern, liveable city. For example, they would like to attract as many tourists to Ózd as possible. That is why they built a commemorative chimney and put a laser cannon inside it to send laser beams to the sky each day. The laser was designed by Tamás Kovács, and they already sent the message of a local school and several poems to space with it.

Model for the laser cannon was Miami’s The Guitar Hotel

Mr Janiczak said the new “laser chimney” will become a symbol of Ózd since it is the first of its kind not only in Hungary but also in Europe. Janiczak added that they won the money for it (EUR 50,000) through an EU application. He added that after Miami and Tenessee, Ózd is the third place in the world where a laser cannon operates. On 23 October, on Hungary’s national day commemorating the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution and freedom fight, the colour of the laser beam continuously changed from red to white and then green, the national colours of Hungary.

According to Blikk, Mr Kovács regarded ‘The Guitar Hotel’ in Miami as an example. Here is a photo of it:

The five laser cannons operating in Ózd can be seen even from 10 kilometres away. The Hungarian tabloid added that the chimney, hosting the laser cannons, was built using the bricks of the nine original chimneys of the forge. The laser beam’s diameter is 36 centimetres. Janiczak said the entire system was automatic, and equipped with surveillance cameras and alarms. Moreover, only authorised personnel can access it.

There are opposers

The laser cannon has been operating since 20 October for 15 minutes every hour between 7 PM and 11 PM.

Most locals are happy about the development, but some complained because of the lack of doctors, buses, and workplaces and would rather have spent the money on those issues.

Local Fidesz and the directorate of the Bükk National Park opposed the project. Another opponent is the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. They believe the laser beam causes irreparable damage to the sky. But the mayor is not convinced. He wrote that the lighting of some stadiums is stronger than this laser beam. Furthermore, they would like to be on Hungary’s tourism map and attract tourists to Ózd.

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