22. March 2006.

From this day forward the small chapel erected above the finding site of the international award winning Szentkirályi mineral water will be adorned with the porcelain replica of the Hungarian Holy Crown. The crown arrived at the location in honour of the International World Water Day (March 22) and is, in fact, an extraordinary and unique porcelain product manufactured by the Herend Porcelain Manufactory. Here, in the home the "treasured" Szentkirályi mineral water, it will find a place that is worthy of its uniqueness.

The lifelike replica of Saint Stephen's crown was received by Mayor Dr. Gábor Szécsi in Kecskemét and was later welcomed by Gellért Szabó, the mayor of Szentkirály. Altogether thirteen individual pieces were manufactured of this valuable artwork and it can only be viewed by the public in three locations in Hungary.

Making the crown out of Herend porcelain was an extraordinary challenge for the craftsmen involved. All phases of the work process-modelling, throwing, glazing, painting, gilding and glost firing-were bordering the limits of the applicability of porcelain making technologies. The three-month design phase period was followed by a two-month manufacturing phase and a month-and-a-half of painting work; that is altogether 350 working hours. The patterns, colours and forms found on the porcelain replica are entirely realistic. The precious stones and enamels, which could only be reproduced after a long period of experimentation, are also made of porcelain.

The crown was made out of 49 different porcelain parts, which were fastened to one another with precious metals-produced by the State Mint of Hungary-matching the exclusivity of the crown. Another rather interesting feature of the crown is that its painting involved all of the complicated painting methods: palette, lustre and the so-called goldunterlag painting as well as techniques that have not been tried before. The design and creation of the crown is the triumph of the efforts of Attila Presits modelling craftsman, while its painting is a result of the concerted cooperation of a number of painter craftsmen.