~ In Memoriam of Barnabás Lenkovics ~

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the unexpected passing of Professor Barnabás Lenkovics on 30 April 2025. He was laid to rest on 12 May in the cemetery of Gamás, in the presence of close family and friends. A public memorial service was held on 13 May at the Church of Saint John of Capistrano in Budapest. Following the thanksgiving mass, the Constitutional Court, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), and Széchenyi István University bid their final farewell to him. With this obituary, the Department of Civil Law and Civil Procedural Law commemorates its founding head.

Barnabás Lenkovics’s life and work were permeated by the conviction that the essence of human existence lies in the pursuit of goodness. With his optimistic outlook, he consistently sought hope, possibility, and meaning, even in the most challenging circumstances. Perhaps even in this moment of painful farewell, he would remind us not to mourn what has been lost, but to be grateful for all that was given. Over the decades, he gifted us with countless guiding thoughts, teachings, and examples—an enduring legacy we shall carry forward.

The exemplary trajectory of his life and professional career is worthy of tribute from many perspectives. He was, at once, a loving husband, father, and grandfather; a devoted university professor and department head; an ombudsman; a constitutional judge; and eventually, President of the Constitutional Court. In the foreword of his book Man and Law, he described himself first and foremost as a legal educator, secondly as a legal scholar, and thirdly as a servant of constitutional institutions. Accordingly, this obituary reflects on his legacy from the perspective of his colleagues in Győr, remembering him as the teacher who served as a role model and compass for generations of lawyers. As William Arthur Ward wrote: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” Barnabás Lenkovics was a great teacher who, over the course of half a century, inspired successive generations, instilling in his students a desire for knowledge, perseverance, and moral integrity.

He began his academic career in 1974 at ELTE, where he was appointed assistant lecturer in 1976, senior lecturer in 1982, and associate professor in 1992. With two decades of teaching experience behind him, he accepted the invitation of Mihály Bihari, Tamás Szekeres, and Gyula Szalay to contribute to the foundation of the new legal education program in Győr in 1995. Born in Rakamaz, one of the most impoverished regions of the country, his early life experiences taught him that knowledge and education possess a transformative power—not only in the lives of individuals but also in uplifting entire communities. From the outset, he supported the decentralisation of education, the expansion of academic opportunities into the regions, and the establishment of new universities and programmes as a path toward rural advancement.

The legal training in Győr, launched in September 1995, initially operated as an off-campus institute of ELTE, structured as a large, integrated department due to the absence of senior-year cohorts. From early 1996, Barnabás Lenkovics headed the Department of Civilistics, which encompassed not only traditional civil law and civil procedural law but also private international law, labour law, agricultural law, and European Community commercial law. In 2002, Széchenyi István College was granted university status, and the legal training programme became independent from ELTE. During this transitional period, several sub-disciplines within the Civilistics Department evolved into separate departments. Professor Lenkovics then assumed leadership of the newly formed Department of Civil Law and Civil Procedural Law, responsible for the core subjects of classical civil law.

Under his leadership, the teaching of civil law and civil procedure involved distinguished academics such as Gábor Jobbágyi, László Székely, Attila Menyhárd, Gyula Szalay, Ottó Csiky, and Zsuzsanna Somlai, along with numerous practicing lawyers and judges as guest lecturers. To ensure the continuity of academic instruction, Professor Lenkovics also involved young doctoral candidates, including Erika Herédi and Ádám Menyhárt, followed by the majority of the current department in the early 2000s. He served the Faculty as head of department for 19 years until 2015 and supported its work as professor emeritus from 2018 onwards. In recognition of his two decades of institution-building leadership, the Senate of Széchenyi István University expressed its gratitude in Resolution 216/2015 (VII.12).

This formative institutional contribution is further evidenced by the doctoral students who earned their PhD under his supervision: László Milassin (2005), András Szegedi (2007), Ádám Menyhárt (2012), Ákos Kőhidi (2013), Péter Szalai (2015), Erika Reiderné Bánki (2015), and Barna Arnold Keserű (2016)—all of whom have since become associate professors at the Győr Faculty of Law. In 2012, Professor Lenkovics welcomed Professor Judit Fazekas, a former student, as a new colleague; he had supervised her seminar and thesis work in 1977, already influencing her through his scholarly and pedagogical excellence.

Colleagues consistently learned much from Barnabás Lenkovics—professionally and personally. He was not merely a lawyer, but a true legal scholar. He believed that law should serve humanity, not the other way around. For him, legal regulation must reflect the human being and true human values. He was critical of the technicisation of law, regarding bloated legal formalism not as the rule of law but as a tyranny of law. His age-borne wisdom and holistic worldview encouraged his colleagues to pursue a legal order that is enduring and value-based—one that allows humanity to remain human and reconnect with its roots. Beyond his efforts in regional university development, he strongly believed in the power of locality in all aspects of life, a conviction he consistently upheld in his scholarly work. He often cited Ernst Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful, which warns that oversized solutions can lead to an inhuman and impersonal world. He was a proponent of human-scale structures, transparency, and systems where individuals can thrive.

His anthropocentric worldview is also reflected in the titles of his books published from 2013 onwards: Man and Property; Man and Law; Man and Humanity; Man and Thought; and the forthcoming Man and Faith. In his recent publications, alongside the centrality of the individual, the family became a principal theme. Barnabás Lenkovics was a true humanist in an increasingly technocratic world.

His ethical-legal vision of humanity and the family imparted values that remain deeply relevant to us as law students, educators, and human beings striving for a good life. His personal example, admonitions, and wisdom-infused teachings remain a guiding compass for generations.

News of his death has caused deep grief among all who knew and loved him. Former students from the past fifty years have remembered his humanity, patience, and wisdom.

It was a true honour to have been a student and colleague of Barnabás Lenkovics. His passing is an irreplaceable loss for the department, the university, and the Hungarian legal community. We shall cherish his memory, paternal guidance, teachings, and exemplary life with deep respect. We extend our sincere condolences to his bereaved family.

We bid farewell with the words of János Arany, which so aptly express Professor Lenkovics’s creed:

"The highest goal here in this earthly life / Is to be human, always, under every circumstance."
— János Arany

Colleagues of the Department of Civil Law and Civil Procedural Law