A line-up of expert historians presented the story of how the many different nations living by the River Danube had collaborated with each other over the tides of history and of the ambitions to create a confederation of independent Danubian nations.
Hungary’s greatest philosophical poet Imre Madách, author of The Tragedy of Man, was born 200 years ago today.
While generational differences pushed one group of young men into the camp of the contemporary nationalist right, that did not necessarily determine their later life choices. Generational experiences did define men to some extent—but it was political and moral choices that had the final say.
In this article we will walk you through the history of the names of Budapest’s bridges and the historical events that influenced their evolution.
The approach of Weis to welfare, an attitude that in fact prevailed under the Teleki government, was not only sensitive to social issues, but also subscribed to the idea of an ‘anti-capitalist democracy’, and also to ‘progress’ and ‘social justice’.
Few know that he spent his final years not battling Jews, but the Nazis, and most likely ended his life as an anti-Nazi resistance fighter, like his well-known friend, Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky.
There are two peoples, the Americans and the Hungarians, who strove for some of that nobility and righteousness, and thus can be examples for those striving for the same in the present.
The 1848-49 Revolution and Freedom Fight fundamentally changed the course of Hungarian history, and it remains the core of Hungarian national identity to this day.
Illiberal democracy
is a set-up, such as Hungary, in which democracy prevails, but without the stultifying carapace of liberal (or “liberal”) pieties and prejudices.
‘Archbishop Béla Witz visited me and asked me to bring the Holy Right Hand back to Hungary when we travelled to Salzburg. At first, fulfilling this request seemed impossible. But since I am well aware of what St Stephen’s Day means to Hungary, and how closely the presence of the holy relic is tied to its intimacy, I decided to help.’