anniversary

Hungary marks 2018 National Cohesion Day

We can only be rid of Trianon’s burden if we believe in Hungary’s future, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said at a commemoration marking National Cohesion Day in Budapest’s district 3, his constituency.

“We work on becoming an up-and-coming nation with all our strength,” Varga said.

On June 4, Hungarians mark the day of the signing of the Trianon Treaty on June 4, 1920, which stripped Hungary of two thirds of its territory and “thrust 3.3 million Hungarians into living as ethnic minorities”, Varga noted.

“In the 21st century, we have to strengthen the unity of the nation and not let defeatism or external pressure stop us from representing the interests of Hungarians,” Varga said. We simultaneously commemorate the signing of the treaty and celebrate the unity of the nation, he said.

The country continues on the road outlined in 2010, and follows policies truly serving the interests of Hungarians that are very different from the ones before the Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance entered power, he said. Hungarians outside the borders have a special standing in that policy, he said. After recent years’ economic success, the country is now facing new challenges that could possibly endanger its existence, he said. Hungary is resolutely fighting external pressure and Brussels’ migration policy, “because we know that uncurbed migration ruins nation states”, he said.

Speaking at a conference in Budapest, the state secretary for Hungarian communities abroad, Árpád János Potápi said that the trust in national cohesion was the “strongest engine of survival” for ethnic Hungarians beyond the borders for decades after they were cut off from Hungary.

“We Hungarians are building a united nation where everyone is eligible for citizenship and maternity benefits. A unity where education in the mother tongue is guaranteed to all and the survival of Hungarian schools in Transylvania or Transcarpathia is a common issue for all. A community whose members receive all the help to stay in the mother country,” Potapi said.

He added that to achieve this a stable mother country is needed that can secure the conditions needed for survival and Hungarian communities that have trust in the future. This is why 2018 is a year dedicated to Hungarian families at home and abroad, he said.

Parliament declared June 4 the Day of National Cohesion on May 31, 2010.

Featured image: MTI

June 4, 2018

8 interesting facts about Trianon, a Hungarian national tragedy

It is that time of the year again when Hungarians mourn the great loss that the Treaty of Trianon. June 4 is the 98th anniversary of Hungary losing 2/3 of its territory and about 1/3 of its population.

About the Treaty of Trianon

Hungary joined WWI as part of the long-ago Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even though the Hungarian leadership disagreed on the decision of the declaration of war against Serbia, it was its duty to follow the Empire’s command. In the end, WWI costed 660,000 Hungarian military personnel’s’ lives. On the top of being part of those countries who lost, Hungary had to pay a big price: the Treaty of Trianon included taking away 2/3 of Hungary’s territory including those 13 million Hungarian citizens living there.

treaty trianon — Photo: www.flagmagazin.hu

As we have already given a deeper understanding on Trianon in our previous articles (see on the bottom), we decided to share some interesting facts as remembering this year.

The meaning of the word ‘Trianon’

Some people claim that the Hungarian motto “No! No! Never!” comes from the meaning of the word Trianon. It has a Latin origin and means “three nos”. It is easy to conclude that there is a connection between the motto and the meaning of the word. However, Urbanlegends.hu revealed the truth according to which the motto has already existed in 1918, while, on the other hand, the Treaty of Trianon was signed only in 1920. Therefore, this interpretation seems to be false.

Trianon happened because of a divorce

George Clemenceau, the French character who played an important role in creating the conditions of the treaty, had a son who married a Hungarian woman. After their marriage declined and they ended up filing divorce, Clemenceau was said to be so angry with Hungary that led him to make the conditions even more strict. Hungarian historians contradict this hearsay and reason that Clemenceau did not like Romania either, but he still supported their territorial claims.

Sopron, the Town of Loyalty

Citizens of Sopron had the opportunity to vote whether they still want to be part of Hungary. They vote yes, and that is why they won the “Civitas Fedelissima” title and they became the Town of Loyalty.

Demographic changes

From one day to another, the population of the Hungarian Kingdom has decreased from 20,886,487 to 7,615,117 people.

Capitulation to Egypt was prohibited

According to a very interesting part of the treaty, Hungary shall not capitulate to Egypt. It may sound funny at first, but this condition had the aim only to secure Great Britain’s mere authority in Egypt.

The USA did not sign the treaty

Many people believe that the United States of America did not sign the treaty because they found it so drastic. However, this statement is not entirely true. The truth is that by the time the treaty was signed, only some diplomats stayed in Europe who came from oversees. Most of them were only observing, they did not have the right to sign the treaty legally.

1927 ethnographic map treaty trianon — Photo: Károly Kogutowicz’s ethnographical map of Hungary from 1927 – Wiki Commons

The ‘Red Map’

Pál Teleki created a map indicating the Hungarian population within the borders of the long-ago “Big Hungary” with red dots. The name ‘Red Map’ comes from here.

Ship owners

As part of the treaty, Hungary had to compensate the winner countries for their lost ships in battle by giving them Hungarian ships. Because Hungary did not have enough of those, it obligated all Hungarian ship owners to help out.

More information

If you wish to gain further understanding on the details of the Treaty of Trianon, we recommend you our previous article on this topic: Hungary, 96 years after the Treaty of Trianon. You may want to browse Hungary’s detailed ethnographic map online made for the Treaty of Trianon here. Furthermore, it is also worth taking a look at quotes about the Treaty of Trianon by famous non-Hungarian people. Finally, if you are interested not only in Hungarians living abroad but also in minorities living in Hungary, we wholeheartedly recommend you our series: Minorities in Hungary, which has the following episodes so far:

Featured image: the Versailles Palace (Pixabay), and the map of Hungary’s dismemberment by the Treaty of Trianon (Wiki Commons by HunTomy~huwiki)

June 4, 2018

Europe Day – Festival and race held in Budapest

A festival was held in Budapest on Sunday, marking the day Hungary joined the European Union 14 years ago.

Péter Balázs Molnár, European affairs deputy state secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, said at the event in Szabadság Square that among the many reasons to celebrate was the fact that Hungary has spent half its 28 years since 1990 as part of the bloc.

“This is an important milestone in the country’s history,” he said at the festival, which is being held for the fifth time.

Hungary’s EU membership enjoys widespread support among Hungarians, he noted.

Lívia Járóka, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said there was a general feeling that the country had gained great momentum along with EU accession and that everyone could benefit from it.

István Újhelyi, an MEP representing the Socialist Party, highlighted the one-month travel benefit young Europeans would enjoy thanks to the “Free Europe Card”. Applications for the free travel scheme on InterRail trains can be made from mid-June to mid-July, he noted at a press conference.

Today’s festival comes on the heels of Europe Day, which is celebrated in the EU on May 9 and commemorates the anniversary of the historic Schuman declaration which led to the establishment of the EU.

Featured image: MTI

May 14, 2018

4+1 facts about the 100-year-old Gellért Bath you did not know

It is well-known that the capital of Hungary is famous for its baths. Gellért Bath was recently chosen amongst the most beautiful art deco baths in the world by BBC News Designed. Budapest’s very own Gellért Bath opened exactly 100 years ago in 1918, and in order to celebrate this big anniversary, Funzine.hu collected some interesting facts about the bath.

A special exhibition can be visited

Very special photos of the 100-year-old bath can be seen at Milán Radisics’s exhibition titled A 100 Éves Gellért Fürdő Vízből Levegőből [The 100-year-old Gellért bath from water from air]. The exhibition can be visited since World Water Day, 22 March until 22 April. Visitors are welcome to look at the photos from 6 am to 20 pm within the bath’s building.

Photo: Facebook.com/events/1834059616654694/

A bath before a bath

Way before today’s Gellért Bath existed, another hospital and medical bath stood in its place that was founded by Andrew II of Hungary in the 13^th century. Even the Turkish enjoyed the predecessor of Gellért Bath centuries later. This medical bath was demolished during the construction of the Liberty Bridge.

Built by Russian prisoners

The building of today’s Hotel Gellért and Bath was built between 1912-1918 in the art nouveau style. Most of the workers were Russian prisoners of war.

Gellért Szálló (Hotel Gellért) was Hungary’s first luxury hotel. Each room had a telephone in it, which was a pretty big deal at the time. Gellért Bath was also one of the most modern medical baths in Europe at that time.

Gellért hotel budapest — Hotel Gellért in 1966
Photo: Fortepan

Zsolnay’s presence

Bits and pieces from the world-famous Zsolnay Porcelain factory can be seen at the bath. The building is decorated with many Zsolnay ceramics. The walls of the thermal bath are all decorated with colourful ceramics, contributing to the breath-taking aesthetics of the whole bath.

Budapest bath visit tourism — Photo: www.gellertfurdo.hu

Style

Do not be fooled by the bath’s baroque style domes, the building was built in the art nouveau style, and was selected as one of the most beautiful art nouveau buildings in the world. The main entrance is surrounded by sculptures which represent the process of healing.

bath budapest Gellért water — The bath’s entrance in 1960
Photo: Fortepan

Featured image: www.gellertfurdo.hu

March 28, 2018

Hungarian-Polish friendship day to be celebrated in the city of Veszprém

Hungarian President János Áder will meet his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, who is paying an official two-day visit to Hungary to celebrate Hungarian-Polish friendship.

The two heads of state will mark the occasion of Polish-Hungarian friendship day in the city of Veszprém, in western Hungary, on Friday afternoon, the president’s office said in a statement.

A joint press conference held at the Veszprém Town Hall will follow.

On Saturday morning, the two presidents will take part in a festive Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral.

The Polish head of state will be accompanied by his wife, Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

The first day of Hungarian-Polish friendship was celebrated a decade ago following a 2006 initiative by Lech Kaczynski, Poland’s president at the time, and László Sólyom, his Hungarian counterpart.

March 23 was declared the day of that friendship by both countries’ parliaments in 2007.

The first public monument to Hungarian-Polish friendship was inaugurated in the western Hungarian city of Győr in 2006, and a similar monument was inaugurated in Jaroslaw, in southern Poland, two years later.

A week of exhibitions on Polish history is being held in Veszprém as part of the Polish-Hungarian friendship celebrations.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/Lengyel-magyar barátság

March 21, 2018

March 15 – Orbán: ‘They want to take our country away’

Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a speech marking the anniversary of Hungary’s anti-Habsburg revolution of 1848 said: “They want to take our country away”.

Referring to the post-WWI Treaty of Trianon in which Hungary lost two-thirds of this territory, Orbán told thousands of supporters gathered in front of Parliament: “We are expected to willingly hand over [our country] within a few decades … to foreigners from other continents who don’t speak our language, respect our culture, our laws or way of life.”

“They want people other than us or our descendants to live here from now on,” Orbán said at a state commemoration of the revolution’s 170th anniversary on Thursday.

Countries that do not stop the migration wave at their borders will be overrun and lost, the prime minister said ahead of the April 8 general election.

“All of this is being forced on us by external forces and international powers and their accomplices here,” he said. “They see the upcoming election as the right time for this.”

On the subject of the anniversary of the revolution, Orbán called March 15 “the day that lifts the hearts of all Hungarians”. He said this was the day “when the word ‘freedom’ was written into the history books in Hungarian”.

“In a little over three weeks’ time, we will once again decide on the future of Hungary. And in this election, it will not just be four years at stake,” he said.

featured image: MTI

March 16, 2018

Secrets of Budapest: The capital city during the revolution of 1848

170 years have passed since the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, which was sparked off by the youth of Pest-Buda. Even though the city has changed a lot in the past one and a half century, you can still visit some of the important venues of the events. What better way to bring back Funzine’s Secrets of Budapest series than commemorating these locations? 🙂

The most Hungarian Habsburg

The development of Pest-Buda can be mostly owed to Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary, who is frequently referred to as “the most Hungarian Habsburg”. He led the so-called “Beautifying Board” since 1808.

*Photo: Wiki Commons – Painting by Miklós Barabás*

This was the organisation which – among others – decided about the dismantling of the city walls (in the place of today’s Small Boulevard) so that Pest could grow further, and the city centre and the suburbs would not be separated. Joseph Habsburg was not only concerned about the city but also the fate of Hungarians in general. Hence he even supported the claims of the rebels.

However, the growth of Pest was not as idyllic as contemporary photos suggest. There were basically no covered channels and only a few water and garbage channels, which meant that the streets were filled with all types of rubbish – only a few steps away from the imposing buildings.

Photo: www.egykor. hu – Painting by Miklós Barabás

Chain Bridge

Even though the Chain Bridge was only inaugurated on the 20^th of November, 1849 (postponed due to the revolution), the construction works were already started thanks to the campaign of Count Ferenc Széchenyi.

The Chain Bridge was the first stone bridge connecting Pest and Buda, before that, the cities only had a pontoon bridge. The structure was everything but massive, not to mention that it was not able to satisfy the needs of the era since, besides pedestrians, vendors and herders wanted to use it as well.

Chain Brigde history — *Around 1850 – Photo: Wiki Commons By Adolphe Rouargue*

Another curiosity about the Chain Bridge was that everybody had to pay a fee for crossing the bridge – even the nobility! Naturally, they were not too happy about this, since it was believed that people of rank paid taxes “with their life and blood”, not money. This lasted until the inauguration of the Chain Bridge.

Pilvax Café

Cafés in the age of reforms were like market halls in the age of dualism: very district had one. The most famous out of these, Pilvax or as it was originally called, Café Renaissance, was opened in 1838. It was named after the second owner of the place, Károly Pilvax. However, its colloquial name was Fillinger in 1848, after János Fillinger, who bought the café in 1847.

The intellectual layers of society gathered in the cafés to create, chat, argue, talk politics – or spark off a revolution.

National Museum

The National Museum’s special collection was accumulated thanks to the generous donations of Ferenc Széchenyi. But the art treasure collection was invaluable for nothing if there was no building to showcase it. In the end, the 1832-36 parliament set aside a certain amount of money to build the museum, which was designed by Mihály Pollack. The construction was finished in the January of 1848, only two months before the revolution.

Old City Hall

One of the wonders of the reform age Pest was the City Hall that stood behind the Downtown Parish Church. The flood of 1838 seriously damaged the building, so a new city hall was built in 1842-43 based on the plans of Ferenc Kasselik. The building was expanded according to the ideas of József Hild in 1863.

The building included a chapel, the offices of prosecutors, city leaders and a prison. In spite of the beauty and usefulness of the building, it was demolished in 1900 due to the construction of the Elizabeth Bridge. The city leadership decided that the construction of the bridge was much more important than the imposing building.

In fact, it came very near to the demolition of the Downtown Parish Church as well.

Featured image: Wiki Commons By József Preiszler

March 15, 2018

March 15 – Orbán: ‘We will fight for our homeland till the end’

Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – “This is our homeland, our life and since we don’t have another one, we will fight for it till the very end and we will never give it up,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday, addressing thousands of supporters in front of Parliament.

Europe and Hungary are in the middle of a “civilisational struggle”, the prime minister said in a speech marking the anniversary of Hungary’s anti-Habsburg revolution of 1848.

Hungary and Europe face a mass migration wave which endangers the way of life of their people, he said.

“It’s not the anemic little opposition parties we have to fight, but rather an international network that has been organised into an empire,” Orbán insisted. “A media backed by foreign concerns and domestic oligarchs, professional paid activists, troublemakers who organise protests, the network of NGOs paid by international speculators, all summed up by the name of George Soros, who embodies them.”

“We grew out of Christian culture and we differentiate between the individual and their actions,” he said. “We never hated and will never hate anyone; we continue to believe in the power of love and unity,” he added.

But the prime minister said he and his supporters will fight against “what Soros and his empire are doing and want to do to Hungary”.

“In each electoral district, it’ll be them against our candidates,” he said, referring to the April 8 general election. He said the opposition candidates were tasked with gaining power so that they could “carry out the grand plan”. “The grand plan to break Hungary, which stands in the way of migrants, and then settle thousands and then — over a few years — tens of thousands of migrants in Hungary,” he said.

“Europe is now under invasion,” the prime minister insisted. “If we allow it, then over the next one or two decades tens of millions of people will set off for Europe from Africa and the Middle East. Brussels won’t protect Europe. It is not interested in stopping, but rather in supporting and organising migration,” Orbán said.

featured image: MTI

March 15, 2018

March 15 – Hungarian FM calls on Romanian authorities not to penalise Hungarians for commemorating national holiday

Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has called on Romanian authorities not to penalise Hungarians for commemorating their national holiday.

“Such penalties are unworthy of a European Union member state and have nothing to do with mutual respect. Hungarians do no harm to Romania by commemorating their heroes and such acts of commemoration should not be disturbed,” the foreign minister said in a statement on Thursday. Szijjártó’s statement came after the mayors of Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy), Odorheiu Secuiesc (Székelyudvarhely) and Targu Secuiesc (Kézdivásárhely) were each fined 5,000 lei (EUR 1,070) on Wednesday for displaying the Hungarian symbols connected to the March 15 national holiday.

Both prefects levying the fines, of Harghita and Covasna counties, objected to the fact that no Romanian flag was displayed along with every Hungarian flag by the town halls concerned.

They cited the Romanian law that stipulates that other states’ flags can only be displayed along with Romania’s flag, exclusively on the occasion of visits of foreign officials, international meetings or celebrations.

In Odorheiu Secuiesc, mayor Árpád Gálfi said the town was not decorated with symbols of the Hungarian state but rather of the Hungarian nation, in commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the 1848 revolution.

Gálfi said Hungary’s national flag is only displayed on the town hall on March 15 in respect of the Hungarian delegation led by state secretary Miklós Soltész, along with the official flag of the Romanian state. He pointed out that a government decree adopted in 2001 allows ethnic minorities to use their national symbols at their events.

March 15, 2018

March 15 – National flag hoisted by Parliament

áder jános kövér lászló parliament march 15 flag revolution

Budapest, March 15 (MTI) – The national flag was hoisted in front of Parliament on Thursday morning, marking the start of state celebrations of the anniversary of Hungary’s anti-Habsburg revolution that started on March 15, 1848.

The ceremony was attended by President János Áder and Speaker of Parliament László Kövér, several ministers, representatives of state and military organisations, diplomats, families and tourists.

This year, the commemoration of the March 15 national holiday will also be held in Kossuth Square in front of Parliament due to renovation work in the Museum Garden, where the event is traditionally held. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will give a celebratory address at 2pm.

Commemorations of the revolution are also being held by ethnic Hungarian communities around the world.

The revolution and freedom fight were part of a series of uprisings in Europe in 1848. On March 15, citizens of Pest gathered in front of the National Museum and demanded independence from Habsburg rule.

Hungary’s first independent government with Count Lajos Batthyány as prime minister approved a reform package called the April laws. Later, the uprising grew into a war of independence, stifled by Austria in late 1849.

áder jános kövér lászló parliament march 15 flag — President János Áder and Speaker of Parliament László Kövér in front of the parliament

photos: MTI

March 15, 2018

March 15 – Orbán and deputy PM Semjén mark national holiday for Hungarians abroad

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sent a message to Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin on Wednesday, the eve of Hungary’s March 15 national holiday, marking the anniversary of the 1848 revolution. Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén attended a commemoration marking the anniversary of Hungary’s 1848 revolution, in Cluj (Kolozsvár), in central Romania, on Wednesday.

In his address, the prime minister referred to the March revolution as a “rare flash of light, which has not lost its perfection or purity” and said that all its developments reflected “the unity and love of freedom of the Hungarian nation”. “Ever since the light of that day has lit our lives, including the darkest years of separation and dictatorship,” the prime minister’s press office quoted the letter in a statement.

“When we stand up for each other and fight shoulder to shoulder for our shared goals nothing will be impossible,” Orbán wrote, and went on to say that “today the time has also come to protect our freedom and thousand-year-old culture together”.

“We, Hungarians, want no more than to celebrate our heroes together and build a world in which we have freedom to speak our language, and live in the Carpathian Basin in strength and faithfulness and with a hope in the future,” Orbán added.

In his address at the ceremony, organised by the Hungarian consulate general, Semjén said that the Hungarian government’s ensuring fast-track citizenship to ethnic kin was in fact a “legal unification of the Hungarian nation”, similar to the 1848 revolutionary goal of achieving a union between Hungary and Transylvania. He added that granting citizenship was a kind of “compensation” to ethnic Hungarians for historical grievances.

He noted that citizenship was coupled with voting rights, which was instrumental in enforcing “the political will of the whole Hungarian nation” in the Hungarian parliament. He compared the nation to a “three-legged stool” of which one leg is Hungarians in the mother country, the second is Hungarians in neighbouring countries, and the third is Hungarians in communities across the world.

“The nation must rest upon all those three legs; once one weakens, the whole nation will be in jeopardy,” Semjén insisted.

featured image: MTI

March 15, 2018

Budapest carnival to celebrate Visegrád Group foundation

A day-long carnival will be held in Budapest on Sunday to celebrate the foundation of the Visegrád Group 27 years ago, a spokesman for the event said on Thursday.

The carnival, to take place in and around the Várkert Bazaar near the Danube, will present programmes representing the four member countries, Miklós Csorba told public news channel M1.

It will offer folk, pop and world music concerts, gastronomy shows, children programmes and a light show and will end with a firework show, he said.

The carnival will be held in the framework of Hungary’s 2017/18 V4 presidency.

The Visegrád Group was officially formed on February 15, 1991.

February 9, 2018

Day of Hungarian Culture marked across country

The Day of Hungarian Culture — the anniversary of poet Ferenc Kölcsey’s completing in 1823 “Himnusz”, the poem which later became the national anthem — was marked by celebrations held countrywide and in the Hungarian diaspora on Monday.

Marking the day, Zoltán Balog, the human resources minister, handed over prizes in recognition of achievements in public education, and welcomed in his address that “culture reaches more and more people” and hailed the increase in ticket sales for theatre, cinemas and museums. He argued that last year a total 32 million theatre and cinema tickets were sold, 21 percent more than in 2010.

Defence Minister István Simicskó spoke at a commemoration organised by his ministry, and highlighted the importance of “religious foundations for civilisation”.

He warned “Brussels and the European Union” that removing those foundations would weaken civilisation and its “existence would be questioned”.

The opposition Socialist and Párbeszéd (Dialogue) parties called for restructuring cultural institutions so that they serve “multicoloured Hungarian culture rather than politics”.

Gergely Karácsony, PM candidate of the two parties, said in an address in Heroes’ Square that “cultural policy in recent years promoted divisions rather than unity in variety”. If they won power in the next election, the two parties would “reinforce autonomous cultural endeavours” and ensure a financing mechanism to promote “unity in variety”.

Government devotes special attention to Hungarian diaspora communities

The government devotes special attention to Hungarian communities living outside the Carpathian Basin, including those living in Ireland, the deputy state secretary for policy for Hungarians abroad said at the opening of the family festival for the Hungarian Culture Days event in Dublin.

Péter Szilágyi paid a three-day visit to Hungarians living in Dublin and Cork, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Hungarian culture is the bond that ties Hungarians together even if they are seas or oceans apart, Szilágyi said at the event, and expressed his pleasure that the local Hungarians remain committed to their origins and culture.

Szilágyi said the state secretariat for policy for Hungarians abroad had decided to set aside funding specifically for supporting Hungarian education in the diaspora communities.

He said the government aimed to provide support to all Hungarians living abroad so that they do not lose the bonds that tie them to their homeland and their fellow compatriots.

Photo: MTI

January 22, 2018

45 years of mobile libraries in Budapest

Pestbuda.hu reports that the 1st mobile library was launched 45 years ago in Budapest. The idea of the library bus was not totally new at that time since after World War II, mobile libraries were installed in trams as well. It is always very interesting to see where everything has started, and in this article, you can get to know more about these library buses!

The 1st mobile libraries were set up in trams after World War II, and by July 1945, 2 trams, the 9550 and the 9552, started their operation in Budapest. Later on, a 3rd one was also put into service.

However, from 1973 onwards, libraries installed in Ikarus 255 buses served the demand of the readers after the trams had been withdrawn from the market. Their schedule was extremely punctual which meant that they arrived only on a particular day of the week. Those interested could only get on the bus through the back door where the library counter was installed. In the 1st few years, two people, a bus driver and a librarian worked on the bus, but from the mid-1980s, a well-trained bus driver could run the library on his own.

The libraries looked similar to today’s libraries. Readers got a library card, could use the catalogue and find lots of interesting books.

As far as the construction of these buses is concerned, the basis for them was the Ikarus 255 bus where the seats were replaced by bookshelves. The only difference between these bookshelves and a normal one was that in the library buses, a poll was installed into the bookshelf to keep the books properly in their place.

The library buses mostly circulated in those districts that did not possess a library of their own. Therefore, they ran to new housing estates, but to the Buda mountain, too, like to today’s Sasad-Sashegy.

The 1st buses had 2,300 books on their shelves while another 700 were stored in their boots.

By August 1973, it was rumoured that 31,000 books were borrowed from the libraries within half a year.

Here is what Népszabadság wrote in November 1973 about the 1st mobile library in Budapest:

“It is equipped with radio, tape recorder and a new sound system. All these help the librarians provide information about the books and popularise them. The book collection is composed of 17,000 books, a third of which are children books, 40% of which are non-fiction books while the rest of them are fiction works. The mobile library circulates in 9 districts and stops at 13 stations where readers can get access to the collection of the library for 2 hours.”

/fortepan orig: FSZEK BUDAPEST GYŰJTEMÉNY /
SÁNDOR GYÖRGY/

The system of the library bus was extended in the 1980s when 2 buses circulated in the city. An interesting thing to add is that if the book that the reader wanted was not in the library, for the following week, they procured the desired piece.

By 20 November 1983, buses operated in 12 Budapest districts and also in other towns, like in Érd, Pécs, Kaposvár, Székesfehérvár, Tatabánya and Győr.

However, in the first half of the 1990s, the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library finished offering this kind of mobile service. Although the mobile library enjoyed its Renaissance in the beginning of the 2000s, when they started to circulate again in the countryside, these were more like trucks and not the original libraries.

Featured image: Fortepan

January 20, 2018

Federation of the blind and partially sighted marks centenary

The Hungarian Federation for the Blind and Partially Sighted celebrated its 100th anniversary in Budapest on Thursday.

The federation has 22 member organisations today, working for a better quality of life, inclusion and empowerment of the seeing impaired, Sándor Nagy, head of the organisation, said.

Károly Czibere, state secretary at the human resources ministry, said the approach to helping people with disabilities has changed. Instead of focusing on their shortcomings, they are now regarded an asset for society, he said. The NGOs representing and protecting their interests are important contributors to the process, he said.

The government is supporting the rehabilitation of those who have lost their sight as adults and has extended its related service to the provinces, too, Czibere said.

It is also funding the training of guide dogs and IT accessibility, he said.

Zsolt Nyitrai, the prime minister’s commissioner for strategic social relations, said the government always consulted with the federation on issues pertaining to people with disabilities. He read out Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s greeting.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/MagyarVakokésGyengénlátók Országos Szövetsége

January 4, 2018

Parliament to be open for public visit on January 6 Holy Crown return anniversary

Hungary’s Parliament will offer free tours for visitors on January 6 to mark the 40th anniversary of the return of the Holy Crown from the United States, parliament’s press office said.

Visitors will be guided around in the Main Hall to view the crown of Saint Stephen, the most important symbol of Hungarian statehood, exhibited together with the sceptre and the orb between 10am and 3pm, the office told MTI.

An exhibition entitled 1000 Years of Lawmaking in Hungary will also await visitors between 9am and 5pm, it said.

The crown of Saint Stephen (r. 1000-1038) and the other coronation regalia were taken abroad shortly before the end of WWII.

They were safeguarded at Fort Knox for several decades, then returned to Hungary under a decision by then-US President Jimmy Carter. The initiative provoked sharp debates both in Congress and among Hungarian emigres who saw the step as a recognition of the socialist regime.

The Hungarian government accepted the US conditions that the crown and the coronation regalia should be handed over in the absence of communist party leader János Kádár and displayed in public.

US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance presented the crown and the regalia to Speaker of Parliament Antal Apró at a ceremony in Parliament’s Main Hall on January 6 in 1978.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/parlamentobudapest

December 29, 2017

János Arany the Hungarian Shakespeare

János Arany is one of the most well-known Hungarian poets of all time. He was born in 1817, thus we celebrate the 200^th anniversary of his birth this year. 2017 has been declared as the János Arany Memorial Year. Magyarorszagom.hu compiled a brief summary of the poet’s life and most famous works.

What is the better way to honour the 200^th anniversary of his birth than revisiting the oeuvre of this incredible Hungarian author? If you know nothing about Arany, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know a famous poet. If you do know Arany, this is the perfect chance to revise your knowledge and you might even learn something new.

A prodigy was born

János Arany was born in the town of Nagyszalonta, which used to belong to Hungary, but today it is part of Romania.

Arany was a late child, his parents were 60 and 44 years old when he was born.

He was born into a poor family and lost eight of his siblings to tuberculosis. Only two of the Arany children reached adulthood. Even though he came from a poor family, Arany received quality education. He attended the Reformed College of Debrecen where he studied, among other things, German and French.

By the time he was an adult, he knew Latin, Greek and English, besides German and French.

He had to work as a child in order to support his family. Since he was interested in teaching, Arany started working as a teacher’s assistant.

Career

His literary career launched in 1845, when he won the literary competition of the literary society called Kisfaludy Társaság. He won first place with his work titled: Az elveszett alkotmány (The lost constitution). His most famous work Toldi was published a year after (1846).

Toldi is an epic poem trilogy about the life of Miklós Toldi. It was inspired by the legendary hero called Miklós Toldi of Hungarian folklore. The trilogy’s constituting parts are: Toldi, Toldi szerelme (Toldi’s love) and Toldi estéje (Toldi’s night).

Miklós Toldi
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Győző Somogyi and Róbert Hermann

Arany received immensely positive feedback for Toldi, and thanks to this epic poem, he became the centre of attention in Hungarian literary circles.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

Toldi was also what started the legendary friendship between Arany and Sándor Petőfi, another world famous Hungarian poet. Today, we can “peek into” the relationship of the two poets through the letters they wrote to each other, as these letters were left to posterity. The letters reveal how much love and respect they had for each other.

Revolution of 1848

After the Hungarian revolution in 1848, Arany became editor of the Hungarian paper: Nép Barátja (Friend of the People) which was under the rebel government’s management.

His close friend, Petőfi died during the revolution, however the details of his death are still unknown. The death of a close friend, and the horrors of the defeat of the Hungarian revolution both had a huge impact on Arany’s literary works.

The Hungarian Shakespeare

János Arany wrote more than 40 ballads in his lifetime. His contemporaries called him the Shakespeare of ballads.

He translated three of Shakespeare’s most famous works to Hungarian: Hamlet, King John and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Many of Arany’s works have been translated to English. The most famous one is the translation of the ballad titled: A walesi bárdok (The Bards of Wales) by Watson Kirkconnell. Arany was asked to write a poem honouring the visit of Franz Joseph I, but instead, he wrote about the tale of the 500 Welsh bards who were executed by Edward I of England because they refused to sing his praises. Here is a stanza from Kirkconnell’s translation:

“Edward the king, the English king,

Bestrides his tawny steed;

A silence deep his subjects keep

And Wales is mute indeed.”

The Bards of Wales (written in 1857) is one the most valuable pieces of art in Hungarian literature.

Death

In 1865, Arany became secretary general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His daughter died in the same year. The losses of a good friend (Petőfi) and a child had a huge impact on his work. For decades, he could barely write or not at all. He had his last (and brief) writing period in which a cycle of poems (Őszikék) were written.

He died at the age of 65 in 1882.

November 19, 2017

Viktor Orbán: Hungary needs government dedicated to Christian values

Following years of governing by anti-Christian, internationalist powers, Hungary now needs a government dedicated to Christian values, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told a celebratory event marking the 500th anniversary of the start of Reformation on Tuesday.

It is no accident but an “expression of God’s mercy” that Hungary currently has a Christian government which promotes faith, he said.

Orbán said it is an obligation for his government to protect “lifestyles germinating from Christianity”, human dignity, family, the nation and communities of faith.

At the same time, he said Hungarians and Christian Europe are in need of spiritual and intellectual renewal.

Featured image: MTI

November 1, 2017