Hungarian memories in Poland – New book about the Hungarian-Polish friendship

Hungarian memories in Poland is the second part of a unique, historical guidebook series. The authors, István Kovács and Miklós Mitrovits, are the tireless researchers, popularisers of Hungarian-Polish relations, who aim to revise the main historical events of the friendship, and elaborately introduce cities, buildings, venues recalling Hungarian memories.

It’s unmatched in world history that two nations that are not related genetically, nor linguistically, have such a strong friendship as Hungarians and the Polish do. What makes it even more special is that it is not only the memory of the past but also the experience of the present and the hope of the future.

But what are the origins and sources of the friendship? Well, out of the many different historical events, two must be highlighted. For one thing, Polish and Hungarian dynasties had close political and family relations in the Middle Age, which also led to prosperous economic and cultural ties. For another thing, the traditions of the 19th-20th-century independence movements created such a healthy companionship that can still be felt today.

The dynasties ruling the countries already established strong diplomatic and family ties in the time of the founding of the state.

The Catholic Church played a significant role in this process.

However, the tradition of the 19th-20th-century independence movements bore more profound political messages. In 1830 and 1863, thousands of Hungarian volunteers fought on the side of the Polish; hundreds were killed in action for an independent Poland. The Polish returned the favour in 1848/49 when voluntary leagues – under the lead of Józef Wysocki and “Father Bem” – fought for the independence of Hungary.

The voluntary assistance continued in the 20^th century – just think about the revolution of 1956. So it’s not surprising that the oppositionist parties of the two countries established strong ties in the 1980s.

To further deepen the unique friendship, in 2007, the Polish Sejm and the Hungarian Parliament declared the 23^rd of March the Day of the Hungarian-Polish friendship.

On the very day, the heads of state inaugurated the monument of the Hungarian-Polish friendship in Győr.

The book aims to map, review and introduce any Hungarian related monuments, records found in Poland. The more than two hundred memories include churches, chapels, paintings, statues, plaques, castles, buildings and roadside crosses.

The Hungarian memories are illustrated with amazing photos taken by Tibor Tóth and Csaba Gerdai. The book was published by the Antall József Knowledge Centre.

Featured image: Tibor Tóth

Source: Hungarian memories in Poland