The first contacts between Poland and Hungary date back to the 11th century. One of the contemporary traces of these relations is the statue in front of St Ladislaus Church in Budapest of its patron, the Krakow-born Ladislaus I the Holy, King of Hungary, son of one of Mieszko II's daughters. It was about him that Gall Anonim wrote: "This Ladislaus was reared in Poland from his childhood and in terms of customs and [manner] of being he somehow became a Pole". In turn, there is a reliquary of Saint Ladislaus in Győr, and a contemporary stained glass window in the Polish church in Budapest. The first significant alliance dates back to 1108, when the rulers of both countries joined forces to counter Emperor Henry V and his alliance with Bohemia to invade Hungary. In the 14th century, during the reign of Louis of Hungary, and in the 15th and 16th centuries, Polish-Hungarian relations intensified, mainly due to dynastic ties linked to the Jagiellonian dynasty and the reign of Wladyslaw Warneńczyk.

Nowadays, reminders of the dynastic ties between Poland and Hungary can be found, among others, in the form of monuments to former rulers, such as Stefan Batory, whose Budapest monument from 1933 was removed in 1950 and then restored in 1956, or Louis the Great, the work of György Zal. Batory is also commemorated with plaques on the church in Nyírbátor. One special place is Castle Hill, where a monument was unveiled in 2013 depicting Jadwiga, who came from Hungary and was crowned in Poland with the royal crown, and Ladislaus Jagiello, her husband the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King iure uxoris of Poland. This monument, the work of Lithuanian sculptor Dalia Matulaitė, was ceremonially unveiled during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Central European Initiative held at Budapest Castle. It commemorates the origins of the dynasty that sat on the thrones of both the Republic of Poland and Hungary and symbolises the common history of Lithuania, Poland and Hungary ( read more about the monument - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/149116 ). Linked to the Jagiellonian dynasty is a monument to the Polish heroes of the Battle of Mohacz fought in 1526, where the army led by Louis Jagiellon succumbed to the Ottoman army ( read the article in the Polonica database reprinted from "Fine Arts" about the history of its creation - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/117442 ).

Louis the Hungarian is honoured with a commemorative plaque on the parliament building, while a plaque recalling the achievements of the Polish king has been placed on Jana III Sobieskiego Street. He is also remembered by a plaque in Győr and a monument in Esztergom. Ladislaus Varna is commemorated in Mohács, where there is also a memorial park of the 1526 battle and a plaque. The battle is also remembered in Érd, next to which there is a plaque of the Polish infantry under Leonard Gnojeński, and in Biatorbágy.

In the museum collections there are numerous traces of the ancient dynastic ties that united the two peoples. Such is the Stefan Batory rosary from the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Budapest. And while we are talking about museum polonies, one cannot miss one of the most important series of drawings "Polonia" by Artur Grottger, which János Pálffy donated to the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest ( read more https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/101994 ). The Budapest museums have also preserved numerous handicraft products of workshops from Gdansk, Lviv, Warsaw and, by individual objects, also from Krakow. Among them is a teaspoon with a portrait of Prince Józef Poniatowski.

The 19th century for Poland and Hungary was a period of significant political, social and cultural turmoil, associated with the loss of independence and the pursuit of sovereignty. Hungary found itself as part of the Austrian and later Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Poland was divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria. Despite these difficulties, the 19th century was also a time when strong national movements were born and flourished in both countries. In the 19th century, these acquired a new dimension within the Habsburg Monarchy. Post-Uprising migrations, during the period of revolutions and wars, increased significantly. Polish migration to Hungary after 1867 is estimated at 60,000 people. The year 1905 brought another wave of emigration; these were political exiles from the Russian partition. At the beginning of the First World War, many Poles found themselves in Hungary as refugees. The period of the twentieth century saw a decline in Polish emigration, estimated at around 20,000 people in 1926.

Many Polish traces in Hungary date from the 19th and 20th centuries, but their historical roots go back to the 18th century. It was during this time, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, that Polish settlement began to expand into southern Hungary. The most famous example of this expansion is the 'Polish village' of Derenk, founded in 1717. This settlement was settled by peasants from the Podhale and Spiš regions. Between 1941 and 1943 there was a resettlement of Derenk's inhabitants to other areas, including: Istvánmajor, Ládbesenyő, Sajószentpéter, Mezőnyárád, Andrástanya, Emőd, Szendrő and Mártonyi. One of the few preserved buildings is the cemetery. More information about Derenk can be found in the database of polonica baza.polonika.pl/en/objects/102105 . There is a plaque in Istvánmajor commemorating Polish settlers.

The largest concentration of Poles in the 19th and 20th centuries was in Budapest. Arriving in this metropolis, you will inevitably end up in one of its architectural pearls - the magnificent opera house. It is here, among the majestic shapes and forms of the façade, that looking up, we can find a sculpture depicting Stanislaw Moniuszko. His figure is located on the balustrade among other composer icons. Moniuszko, the creator of Polish operas, lived to be commemorated on this prestigious site only in 1966, joining the pantheon of musical luminaries. It is interesting to note that the original sculptures that once adorned the opera house were dismantled in the 1930s due to their poor condition ( read more in the polonica database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150505 ). Other musical traces include a bust of Fryderyk Chopin in Tchaikovsky Park, and a bas-relief commemorating the friendship between Chopin and Liszt - depicting the Hungarian composer playing Chopin's 'Polonaise'. Liszt was also to donate a sculpture of the Polish composer's left hand to the National Museum, and a portrait of Chopin was to be placed in the Hungarian composer's study. In addition, a so-called 'smart bench' playing works by both composers was to be set up in Budapest in 2023 ( more https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150526 ). A contemporary memorial to Chopin is also located in Horváth-kert park in the Krisztinaváros district. Szigfrid Pongracz, on the other hand, is the author of the Chopin bust, which is housed in the Hungarian National Gallery. Artistically, one of the most interesting polonics is the Chopin statue by Margó Ede. Its design from 1930, along with more information, is presented in the polonica database https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/139928 ). Also preserved in Budapest is a plaque built into the wall of the Liszt Ferenc Academy.

A place where Polish-Hungarian traces can be discovered is on the left bank of the Danube. Here is one of the most impressive monuments in the city - a statue of a lion, commemorating the heroism of Hungarian soldiers during the defence of the Przemyśl Fortress against the Russian army in 1914-1915 ( read more in the polonica database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150501 ). Nearby also stands a monument to General Józef Bem, an important symbol of Polish-Hungarian historical ties. Józef Bem, a Polish general and national hero of Poland, Hungary and Turkey at the time, played a significant role during the Spring of Nations in 1848, particularly in the Hungarian uprising against Austria. The monument to the general, located in the Jozef Bem City Park in Budapest, depicts him wearing a uniform coat and distinctive hat ( read more in the polonics database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150514 ). Further memorials related to Bem include his busts in Székesfehérvár (2011), Nyíregyháza (2008), Verpelét, Kiskőrös and in Budapest, plaques in Debrecen and Győr. Poles also commemorated János Istók, the creator of the Bem monument, in Budapest. In Szolnok, Polish participants in the Spring of Nations who fought in the Battle of Szolnok in 1849 are commemorated.

In 1956, students gathered at the Budapest monument with the slogan "All Hungarians come with us, we will follow the Poles!". With this Polish accent, the Hungarian uprising began. At the place where the riots began, there is a plaque commemorating the sacrificial help of Poles to the people of Budapest (see more https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150518 ). Another trace of the events of 1956 is a plaque in Miskolc commemorating the thirteen-year-old boy killed in Poznan - Romek Strzałkowski. In the Hungarian capital there is also a monument to the Polish-Hungarian solidarity of 1956 and a plaque remembering Wiesław Kuźnicki, the first victim of the 1956 strikes in Poland.

In Budapest, in addition to other Polish memorials, two religious buildings are worth mentioning. The first is the only Polish church, which was founded on the initiative of Polish emigrants in 1932. The second important site is the Polish chapel in the Pauline church, located on Gellert Hill. This chapel contains an altar dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa, where Polish refugees and interned soldiers used to come to pray. Budapest also has a Katyn Monument, commemorating the victims of the Katyn massacre, a Katyn plaque in Tata, Miskolc or the Polish church in Budapest. Earlier events, on the other hand, are commemorated by the Legionnaires' Monument from 1935, commemorating the Polish legions and nearly 600 Hungarians who fought in them (see more - https://baza.polonika.pl/admin/objects/edit,150520) .

In 2021, a plaque was unveiled in one of Budapest's stadiums, commemorating the first official international match between the Polish national team and Imre Pozsony in December 1921. In this historic meeting, Poland lost 1:0, and among the players stood out Ernest Wilimowski, a legendary Polish footballer with a turbulent history, whose story can be found in the polonica database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/149275 .

Other polonics include the bust of Józef Wysocki unveiled in 1976 in the garden of the National Museum (a plaque commemorating him can also be found in Isaszeg), and the plaque of Mieczysław Woroniecki on the building of the Ministry of Agriculture, temporarily removed (2023) for the renovation of the building. So is the other of Captain Konrad Kazimierz Rulikowski. In 2016, a bust of Zbigniew Herbert was unveiled in Széchenyieg Square, and in 2019 a plaque commemorating the internment of Polish soldiers in Budapest.

Another exceptional figure honoured with a monument in Budapest is Henryk Slawik. His monument, unveiled in 2017 on Györgya Goldmann Square, is a copy of the Warsaw monument from 2016. Slawik, while chairman of the Civic Committee for the Care of Polish Refugees in Hungary during the Second World War, was instrumental in saving some 5,000 children. About this remarkable figure and his memorial you can read more about this remarkable figure and his monument in the Polonica database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/150506. ). He is also honoured on a plaque at the Budapest synagogue.

It is almost impossible to list all the polonics found in Hungary and connected with Poland. Many of them were created today and recall figures from past history, such as the poet and soldier Adam Czahrowski (ca. 1565-1599), who served in Eger, General Henryk Dembiński (1791-1864), who is commemorated in Eger, or the creator of the Esperanto language Ludwik Zamenhof (1859-1917, Budapest). Monuments to St Kinga and St Jadwiga in Budapest and a painting of St Adalbert in St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest. Jozef Pilsudski is also remembered with plaques in Győr and Budapest was created in 1993 to replace the 1936 plaque destroyed in 1948 by the communists, and there is also an eagle from the Marshal's 1936 plaque and a bust unveiled in 2018. There is also a plaque of Father Wincenty Daneek (1870-1945) the first pastor of the Polish church in Budapest, whose grave is preserved in the Budapest Municipal Cemetery. A plaque in the building of the Eötvös József Collégium in Budapest commemorates a Pole who died after the Second World War - Professor Waclaw Felczak (2016-1993), a historian of great merit for Polish-Hungarian contacts, and during World War I a courier and emissary of the Polish Government in Exile. There are also commemorations of figures of particular merit such as Janusz Korczak and Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, whose belfry is named after him on Csepel Island and a plaque by one of the churches in the Hungarian capital. One of the newest Polish monuments is the bust of Adam Mickiewicz, unveiled on 24 May 2022 in the 3rd district of the Hungarian capital. erected through the efforts of the Polish National Council of the 3rd district of Budapest).

There are also plaques erected in the Hungarian capital commemorating Hungarians connected with Poland: translator of Polish literature Grácie Kerényi (1925-1985, Budapest), actress Mária Lázár née Czartoryska (1895-1983, Budapest), dr. József Antalla 1896-1974, who helped Poles during World War II (Budapest), and who should not be confused with Dr. József Antalla the first democratic Prime Minister of Hungary. And finally, there are commemorative plaques for events, places and social groups such as the Polish scouting team (Budapest), the Elizabethan Sisters (Budapest), the Polish pilgrims who died in 2002 (Balatonszentgyörgy), the Polish gymnasium in Balatonboglár, the memorial to Polish and Hungarian miners who died in the Pécs Vasas Szénbánya mine disaster (Pécs). In Győr there is a monument to Polish-Hungarian friendship and in Hajdúszoboszló there is a plaque of fraternity, while in Opálya there is a partnership between Opálya and Dukla, and in Eger there is a reminder of Polish-Hungarian ties by a friendship staircase from 2014.

There are numerous memorials to John Paul II in Hungary, including plaques on the Church of the Holy Cross in Tata, on the Polish House in Budapest and from 2013 in front of the Museum of Fine Arts on Heroes' Square both in Budapest, in Pécsaba, Békéscsaba, Hajdúszoboszló,, in Ópályi. Moreover, there is a statue of the Pope in Szentendre and a bust in Dunaújváros. In Ostrzyhom
(Esztergom) there is a plaque to St Kingia consecrated in 1999 by John Paul II.

Memorials to recent history and the 2010 air crash include plaques in the Tatabánya municipal park, in Segedyn and in Győr at the Polish-Hungarian Friendship Memorial.

There are also Polish traces in Hungarian cemeteries, such as the tomb of Józef Stoczek in the Fiumei street cemetery in Budapest.

As a result of the events of September 1939, thousands of Polish civilian and military refugees found refuge in Hungary, thanks to the goodwill of the local population and authorities. The Hungarian Ministry of War took care of the interned soldiers, while the care of civilians was taken over by the Ministry of the Interior. A camp for Polish officers and non-commissioned officers functioned in Eger from September 1939 to March 1944, where there is a memorial section in the local cemetery for 11 Polish soldiers ( read more in polonica database https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/131478 ). There is a Polish war quarters in the Rákoskeresztúr cemetery in Budapest. In Győr, another one, in Solymár, thirty-seven Polish RAF aviators are buried, and there are memorials to them in the places where they fell (Bácsbokod, Lajosmizse, Madaras, Szentes and Ruzsa). In Püski you will find a replica of the cross erected by the soldiers interned there, a plaque commemorating Polish refugees and the grave of a Polish soldier who died in 1942. A trace of the presence of Polish soldiers in Hungary can also be found in the church of St Władysław in Sárvár, where Polish soldiers from the nearby camp prayed, which is commemorated by a plaque located there ( read more in the polonica database - https://baza.polonika.pl/pl/obiekty/139883 ). Polish refugees also left their traces, including a plaque in Sopron-Brennbergbánya and a cross in Székesfehérvár. Traces of the Polish presence also include later plaques in, among others, the villages of: Balatonboglár, Dömös, Inárcs, Keszthely, Nyíregyházaw, Siklós,Tápiószele, Vámosmikola, Varjúlapos, commemorating the former Polish refugee hospital in Győr and the Civic Committee for the Care of Polish Refugees. In Rákoscsaba there is an internment camp. In Budapest, we can also find a plaque in memory of Poles imprisoned by the Gestapo or Polish doctors and in memory of Zoltán Baló. An interesting story is also connected with a stained glass window donated to the church in Kadarkút by Polish prisoners. At the time of the Bulgarian attack, all except this one were hidden, but the attackers found them and destroyed them, and this one, which was a Polish gift, survived.

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POLONICA portal (https://polonica.hu)