15. March

The Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-1849


On March 15th we commemorate the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-1849. This is also a public holiday in Hungary.

The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many revolutions that year and closely
linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. The revolution in the Kingdom of Hungary grew into a war for independence from Habsburg rule.

Many of its leaders and participants, including Lajos Kossuth, István Széchenyi, Sándor Petőfi, József Bem, are among the most respected national figures in Hungarian history, and the anniversary of the revolution's outbreak, on March 15th , is one of Hungary's three national holidays.

The Revolution started on March 15th in 1848, with bloodless events in Pest and Buda, followed by various insurrections throughout the kingdom, which enabled Hungarian reformists to declare Hungary's new government and the first Prime Minister of Hungary, Lajos Batthyány.

The new government approved a sweeping reform package, referred to as the "April laws" (also referred to as the "March Laws"), which essentially created a democratic political system in Hungary. They also demanded that the Hungarian government receive and expend all taxes raised in Hungary, and have authority over Hungarian regiments in the Habsburg army.

In the summer of 1848, aware that they were on the path to civil war, the Hungarian government ministers attempted to gain Habsburg support against Conservative Josip Jelačić. By the end of August, the imperial government in Vienna officially ordered the Hungarian government in Pest to end plans for a Hungarian army. Jelačić then took military action against the Hungarian government without any official order. War between Austria and Hungary had officially begun.

Initially, the Hungarian forces (Honvédség) achieved several victories fighting with Austrian armies (at Pákozd in September 1848 and at Isaszeg in April 1849). The war led to the October Crisis in Vienna, when insurgents attacked a garrison on its way to Hungary to support Jelačić's forces.

After Vienna was recaptured by imperial forces, General Windischgrätz and 70,000 troops were sent to Hungary to crush the last challenge to the Austrian Empire. Julius Jacob von Haynau, the leader of the Austrian army who then became governor of Hungary for a few months of retribution, ordered the execution of 13 leaders of the Hungarian army in Arad and the Prime Minister Batthyány in Pest.


National Song

On your feet now, Hungary calls you!
Now is the moment, nothing stalls you,
Shall we be slaves or men set free
That is the question, answer me!
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Slaves we have been to this hour,
Our forefathers who fell from power
Fell free and lived as free men will,
On land that was their own to till,
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Whoever now his life begrudges
Deserves his death with thieves and drudges,
For setting his own worthless hide
Above his country’s need and pride.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

The sword shines brighter than the fetters
It is the finery of our betters,
Of slaves and fetters we grow bored.
Leap to my side, ancestral sword.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Magyars, once more our name and story
Shall match our ancestors’ in glory
The centuries of shame and hurt
Can now be washed away like dirt.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

And wheresoever we may perish
Grandchildren those graves shall cherish
Singing our praises in their prayers
To thank us that our names are theirs.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Balaton highlands

Last weekend we travelled to the Balaton highlands once more. We were unlucky, because the vintage festival was reorganize for the next weekend. Saturday morning we left Budapest by car. Our friends travelled by train. We met in Balatonszepezd.



Former fishing-village of 420 inhabitants built on hills along the shore and surrounded by hills and forests. Stewards lived in the village in the 13th century, later on it was the domain of local nobles, of Veszprém Episcopate and of Somogyvár Benedictine Abbey. The inhabitants suffered a lot from the Turkish invasion were completed with German colonists in the middle of the 18th century. Szepezd beach was established by Vince Víriusz on his own domain at the centenary who gained distinction at the time of phylloxera epidemic in the protection of vineyards and in domesticating new species. First Statutes of Bathing Association of Víriusz Domain is from 1933. Roman Catholic church (the only votive church of the area) was built in the 13th century in Roman style, upon the pledge of fishermen got into a storm. The small church is erected directly above the shore on a hill, for a long period of time its white tower had showed the way home to fishermen. The Reformed church and the Evangelic one both built at the end of the 18th century in late Baroque style are located opposite to each other in the centre of the village. A former mansion of dr. Gyula Sebestyén professor of ethnography built in Irish style in Szepezdfürdő, today it is a hotel. A huge sand-stone rock scribbled all over with Székely runic writing called Heathen Stone can be seen in the garden of the mansion. Temporary exhibitions in Szepezd Gallery (Árpád street) in summer. The Roman Catholic church is floodlighted. The traditional vintage procession and merry-making is held in the village in the middle of September.

We put down our luggage and we started beside the lake bank at Badacsony.



For hundreds of years poets, novelists and painters have been calling the Badacsony and its vicinity the most beautiful landscape in Hungary. One of the greatest achievements of the Hungarian nature conservation movement is that the basalt quarries opened here in 1903 have finally been closed down. The famous playwrighter Ferenc Herczeg made powerful efforts in the Upper House in the 1920s to have them closed. A press campaign was also launched, but the last quarries where only finally closed in 1964. Those on the Gulács and Tóti Hills were abandoned at the end of World War II and in the early 1950s. The Szentgyörgy and Csobánc Hills are more fortunate: their basalt was not found suitable for building purposes, so there are only small wounds on their flanks. The basalt mountains of the area are not only unique and picturesque geological relics, they are also the habitat of many rare plants and animals. In addition to the natural values it is worth to mention the vineyards dating back to the Roman times, the architectural relics of the hills and villages: ruins of castles, churches, palaces, as well as the relics of popular architecture.


The way was about 10 kms. We walked through the village Balatontomaj, saw
the Catholic Church Szent Imre and we went to the mooring.





There was a big crafts market here and on the lake bank there were many food stalls with fish meals, desserts, wine and fresh grape juice. We were bathing in the lake, after that we ate a delicious dinner. There was hot summer weather, about 30 degrees.
We went back to our accommodation by train.

On the following day we hiked in Káli basin. It is a very nice countryside. We walked
about 15 kms.




The most characteristic part of the Balaton Uplands was granted protection - perhaps at the last moment - when a protected landscape area in the Káli Basin was established in 1984 on an area of 9,111 hectares. Geological features of the area contribute to its outstanding natural values. Its geological structure is extraordinarily varied: we find Permian red sandstone mountains in the south, huge basalt mountains in the north, sandstone conglomerates in the west, limestone and dolomite in the east and in the middle of the basin. The basalt mountains stretch to the northern edge of the area in a broad plateau, to the valley of the Eger Creek. The bogs of the area are of outstanding botanical value. In the Sásd meadows west of Köveskál, we find the largest population of a rare subalpine primrose; this plant can only survive in cool and humid places. In 1992 nature conservation experts undertook habitat reconstruction by placing wooden locks here, to prevent the bogs from drying out. Since 1983 the directorate preserves the rich flora of the wetland of Tódi-kút in Kővágóörs by a water supply system operated by a wind mill. Floating sphagnum has survived from the Ice Age in two bogs of the basalt plateau of Fekete Mountain. There are several protected orchids, gentian and iris in the bog meadows of the mountain.

There were a lot of places with a beautiful view over the lake.


The end of the trip was in Nagyvázsony village.



The castle is the 15th century Kinizsi Castle, where Pál Kinizsi, King Matthias well-known general lived with his family. Next to the castle museum you can find a tourist hostel. In the neighbourhood of the castle the Post Museum and the Open-air Museum of Ethnography can be found. The former presents the development of telecommunication, the latter gives an insight into the life and running of the one-time flourishing trade guilds of Vázsony. The late baroque Zichy mansion and the ruins of the Paulite monastery are also worth visiting. Apart from the sights of the cultural heritage, Nagyvázsony offers wine tasting and the picturesque landscape awaits the lovers of horse riding, cycling, hiking, hunting and archery. Several cultural programmes are held in the town. In the summer season Castle festivity is held every day. The church concerts, the theatre performances, the knights tournament are popular programmes. Nagyvázsony is involved in the series of cultural programmes called the Valley of Arts.

Here we saw the castle and we went back by bus and train to Balatonszepezd.
On Monday there was a short walk only, because we needed to return Budapest in the afternoon. We saw the sights in Szigliget village.



The village of 1,000 inhabitants located in the neighbourhood of Badacsony was an island at the time when the level of water of Balaton was higher. Nowadays its area is a peninsula jutting out far into the lake. There are only a few places in Hungary presented with so much natural beauty as Szigliget. On its rocks you can see the more than 730-year-old castle built by the abbey of Pannonhalma in 1262. The houses of the village with thatched roofs are located downwards from the Castle, graded one under each other, in a semicircular order. New streets down in the valley hidden at the foot of Majális Hill, Kámon Stone, Soponya Top, ´Queen´s Skirt´ and Akasztó Hill, getting down to the lake-shore. A small village with a church had been developed under the Castle belonging to it as usual in the life of a border fortress. The Castle passed into royal proprietorship and then from 1521 for centuries it became the property of Tóti-Lengyel family. The Turkish tried to take the Castle on the top of the steep hill several times but they always failed, however, they burned down all the villages around it. At that time the Castle was the strongest point of the system of border fortresses at North-Balaton; it served the purpose of a harbour for the Hungarian "fleet". Upon the order of Emperor Leopold issued in 1702 the Castle was blown up. The characteristic structure of the village has been saved, the whole internal territory of the village is protected. The Tóti-Lengyel mansion under the Castle was built in baroque style, currently it operates as a restaurant.



From the village there was a very interesting study trail too.



If you take the circular study trail (marked with blue T signs) starting from the church of Szigliget, you can get to know the sights of one of the most beautiful settlements and its surroundings at Lake Balaton with the help of information boards in Hungarian and English. The trail was named after a rock-range revealing the signs of volcanism called Kamon-kő. The walkway runs through the lovely streets of the village enabling you to study the history of folk architecture, traditional viticulture and reed-farming, to look at the ruins of a church from the 13th century. The information boards in the forest present the development of the lake, the native flora and fauna, as well as the major stages of the geological past, the world of formerly active volcanoes. The study trail is 6 km long, the difference in level is 290 metres. This distance can be covered at a convenient pace in 2,5-3 hours including short breaks.




We had lunch at the foot of the castle and after that we went home.

Next trip / Nächste Reise

We are making a trip to northern Hungary, near Hollókő soon.


Hollókő, a living museum village, is nestled in a picturesque hilly surrounding about 100 km from Budapest in the North of Hungary. The village has preserved the warm, person-centred, friendly atmosphere of the diminishing village-life of the accelerated XXI century. The 'Old-village' with its adjoining 141 hectare Nature Reserve was added to the Cultural and Natural Heritages of the World in 1987 for preserving unique values of folk and applied art. Nestling in one of the gentle valleys of Cserhát Mountain, the small village is a pearl of our folk architecture evoking mist shrouded memories of folk tales, representing the perfect harmony of nature and the built environment. The first written document about Hollókő´s church dates back to 1342. The original medieval church was destroyed during the Turkish occupation; the present Roman Catholic church topped with its admirable wooden spire was built in the XIX century and has, by now, become the symbol of the village. The medieval castle on top of the neighbouring hill determined the life of the villagers for a long time. The pentagonal keep was built by the Kacsics family in the middle of the XIII c. and was continuously rebuilt and enlarged. The legend which preserves the Kacsics name goes that one of the family, András (Andrew) kidnapped the daughter of the neighbouring nobleman and closed her into a room of the castle. The witch-nanny of the girl called for the evils to help, who, turning into ravens, carried away the stones of the building castle. (So was the name of Hollóko (Ravenstone) born.) The view of the Cserhát is stunning from the top of the castle.


Bald wir werden eine Reise nach Nord-Ungarn, in der Nähe von Hollókő.


Hollókő ist ein Teil des Kultur- und Naturerbes der Welt. Dieser auszeichnende Titel wurde der Gemeinde im Jahre 1987 von der UNESCO verliehen. Das kleine Sackgassendorf ist von seiner Baukunst, Volkstracht und eigenartigen Mundart berühmt. Der Zauber von Hollókő stammt von dem Dorfreservat, das aus 65 Häusern besteht und der malerischen Naturumgebung. In der Mitte der Siedlung steht die mittelalterliche Kirche, die noch mit Holzschindeln bedeckt ist. Die Einwohner gehören der Palotzen (palóc) genannten Volksgruppe. Das Farbenreichtum der örtlichen Volkstracht ist verblüffend. Das Dorfmuseum und die Spinnstube, die mit originalen handbemalten Möbeln und Gebrauchsgegenständen eingerichtet sind, beschwören treu das Alltagsleben von einst. Die Burg mit Innenturm am Berggipfel über dem Dorf blieb in relativ gutem Zustand.
Nach der letzten Brandkatastrophe wurde das Altdorf in der derzeitigen Form nach 1909 ausgestaltet,. Die 65 geschützten Wohnhäuser wurden mit abgewalmtem Satteldach und Laubengang mit Holzpfosten und Bretterbrüstung gebaut. Neben dem Gebäudekomplex der Palócen, der Kirche in Hollókô und der Burg bezieht sich der internationale Schutz auch auf dem Wein-berg um dem Dorf, deswegen wurde der 141 ha goße Naturschutzgebiet bei Hollókő ausgestaltet.

Easter weekend at Örség /Osterwochenende in Örség

Easter weekend we made a trip at South Hungary next to the border Slovenia
In the southwest corner of Vas County you can find this wonderful land with forests and meadows where guardians were settled during the Hungarian conquest. Its name derives from these: Őrség (in English: Guard or Watch post). Since 1st March 2002 the Őrség National Park Directoate has been supervising the preservation of natural, ethnographical, culture-historical values which can be found on this wonderful land. The Őrség National Park consists of the Őrség, Vend country, the unregulated valley of River Rába, the Inner-Őrség and the neighbourhood of Szentgyörgy Valley. All together it covers 44 townships, on about 44.000 acres, whereof 3086 acres are particularly protected. The whole territory of the national park is a Natura 2000 area under European Union-wide Protection. This land is the westernmost part of Hungary, where hills and valleys engraved by brooks, deciduous forests and pinewoods, fresh and green meadows, marshlands preserving plants from the ice age, and crystal clean spring-heads and brooks vary. Here are silence and the fresh air, the cultural traditions. Due to the high annual precipitation this area is rich in springs and brooks. One of the most significant rivers of the territory is the Zala (Szala), which springs north from Szalafő and flows through the Őrség. The other one is the Kerka joining into River Mura. On the North border of the National Park mainly the River Rába flows which is rough water, uncontrolled river.
63% of the Őrség is covered by woods and forests, which is 3,5 times more than the nationwide average. This area is the richest in mushrooms nationwide. You can find the delicious bolete, yellow chanterelle and various species of russula. Beside the well-known mushroom species real specialities can be found as well, as the Hygrocybe and Hygrophorus fungus which is the peculiarity of the Alps. The valuable bird species of the countryside are the black stork, the honey-buzzard, the corncrake, the blue pigeon, the crossbill, the bullfinch and the firecrest. The game population is significant as well, wild-boar, roe and red deer also occurs there. Őrség is also rich in folk architectural and cultural-historical relics. The settlement structure shows a unique picture, these are the so-called ‘szeres’ settlements. The ‘szerek’ are groups of houses built on the hill top, which structure comes from the time of
Hungarian conquest. The most well-known house types are the smoky-kitchen houses, furthermore the so called rounded houses. These buildings can be seen at their original place and environment in Szalafő-Pityerszer at the Őrség Folk Monument Ensembles. Belfries also count as folk architecture masterpieces. The Vend-country is characterized by the so-called sparse settlement structure. Building stone castles was not typical in the historical Őrség, the medieval fortress-type churches took over their role. Őriszentpéter and Velemér ancient monument churches are nice examples for these relics.






Osterwochenende machten wir einen Ausflug in Südungarn an der Grenze Slowenien
Eingebettet zwischen Wäldern und Auen befindet sich diese herrliche Landschaft in der südwestlichen Ecke Ungarns, wohin die landnehmenden Magyaren Warten zur Verteidigung des Tores nach Westen aufgestellt haben. Daher stammt auch der
Name der Region: Õrség (= Warte auf Deutsch).
Die Õrség ist die einzige Region in Ungarn, in der die Bewohnerschaft seit der Landnahme in ununterbrochener Sesshaftigkeit lebt. Durch die Jahrhunderte über haben die Leute hierzulande das Gesicht der Landschaft in einer Harmonie mit der Natur geformt und haben mit ihrer Kleinparzellenwirtschaft und mit ihren in die Landschaft anschmiegenden Gebäuden eine langfristig erhaltbare Vielfalt geschaffen. In dieser Landschaft wechseln sich durch Hügel und von Bächen gebohrte Täler, Laub- und Tannenwälder, sanfte und grüne Wiesen, Restfauna aus der Eiszeit, die aus der Eiszeit stammende Restflora bewahrenden Moorwiesen, kristallklare Quellen und Bäche. Die Ruhe, die frische Luft, die unverändert bewahrte Volkstraditionen und Gewerbe (Flechten von Obstdörrkörben, Töpferei, Kürbiskernölpressung), sowie Bräuche und die Produkte aus der eigenen Bauernwirtschaft (Kürbiskernöl, Honigschnaps, Geiß- und Kuhkäse) ziehen Besucher und Besucherinnen an. Der Nationalpark der Region Õrség schafft den geschützten Rahmen für die Bewahrung naturbedingter, kulturhistorischer und folkloristischer Werte in der Landschaft. Die Anzahl der zum Naturschutz erklärten Floraartan liegt über Hundert. Die blumigen Heuwiesen und nassen Wiesen, Obstwiesen, weit verbreiteten Wälder, die vielfältige Schmetterlingsfauna und der bunte Wildbestand bieten ebenfalls ein pures Erlebnis vom Eintauchen in die Natur. Die lokalen Gegebenheiten verleihen das ideale Gelände für die Fans des Schwammerlsuchens. Die Weilersiedlungen bzw. zerstreuten Siedlungen, die volkstümlichen Wohnhäuser, die Glockenstühle, die Kirchen aus der Árpád-Zeit oder die volkstümliche Denkmalgruppe und die Welt der Gehöfte bieten eine reiche Palette an kulturellen Werten.

Typical old houses / Typische alte Häuser


Churches / Kirchen


Bell-towers / Glockentürme


We not only walked:) / Abends Moments

Earthquake / Tremblement de terre

I put my photos at PC tonight, when made a move my chair under me. :) Firstly I thought it maybe went to a truck in front of the house. Then came the idea right away, maybe this is an earthquake. Once upon a time I lived through one of those. I'm looking at the chandelier, but it doesn't move. Later I heard breaking news, it was indeed an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude. The epicenter was about 50-60 km from my house.


(Image: www.origo.hu)

J'ai mis mes photos ce soir à PC, quand il a fait un bouger ma chaise sous moi. :) Tout d'abord je pensais que peut-être allé à un camion en face de la maison. Puis est venue l'idée tout de suite, c'est peut-être un tremblement de terre. Il était une fois j'ai vécu un de ces. Je regarde le lustre, mais il ne bouge pas. Plus tard, j'ai entendu les dernières nouvelles, il était en effet un tremblement de terre de 4,5 magnitude. L'épicentre était à environ 50-60 km de ma maison.

Day of Hungarian Culture

The Day of Hungarian Culture in Hungary since 1989, is celebrated on January 22 in memory of that - of the manuscript suggests that Kölcsey this day in 1823 clarified the manuscript off check at the National Anthem.



Himnusz" (in English: Hymn) – a song beginning with the words Isten, áldd meg a magyart (God, bless the Hungarian) – is a musical poetic prayer that serves as the official national anthem of Hungary. True to its title, Himnusz presents a more solemn and dignified tone than many other lively national anthems. It was adopted in 1844 and the first stanza is sung at official ceremonies. The words were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel, . The poem bore the subtitle "A magyar nép zivataros századaiból" ("From the rough centuries of the Hungarian people"); it is often argued that this subtitle – by emphasizing past rather than contemporary national troubles – was added expressly to enable the poem to pass Habsburg censorship. The full meaning of the poem's text is evident only to those well acquainted with Hungarian history.



Ferenc Kölcsey: HYMN
Translated by WILLIAM N. LOEW (1881)

O, my God, the Magyar bless
With Thy plenty and good cheer!
With Thine aid his just cause press,
Where his foes to fight appear.
Fate, who for so long did'st frown,
Bring him happy times and ways;
Atoning sorrow hath weighed down
Sins of past and future days.

By Thy help our fathers gained
Kárpát's proud and sacred height;
Here by Thee a home obtained
Heirs of Bendegúz, the knight.
Where'er Danube's waters flow
And the streams of Tisza swell
Árpád's children, Thou dost know,
Flourished and did prosper well.

For us let the golden grain
Grow upon the fields of Kún,
And let Nectar's silver rain
Ripen grapes of Tokay soon.
Thou our flags hast planted o'er
Forts where once wild Turks held sway;
Proud Vienna suffered sore
From King Mátyás' dark array.

But, alas! for our misdeed,
Anger rose within Thy breast.
And Thy lightnings Thou did'st speed
From Thy thundering sky with zest.
Now the Mongol arrow flew
Over our devoted heads;
Or the Turkish yoke we knew,
Which a free-born nation dreads.

O, how often has the voice
Sounded of wild Osman's hordes,
When in songs they did rejoice
O'er our heroes' captured swords!
Yea, how often rose Thy sons,
My fair land, upon Thy sod,
And Thou gavest to these sons,
Tombs within the breast they trod!

Though in caves pursued he lie,
Even then he fears attacks.
Coming forth the land to spy,
Even a home he finds he lacks.
Mountain, vale—go where he would,
Grief and sorrow all the same—
Underneath a sea of blood,
While above a sea of flame.

'Neath the fort, a ruin now,
Joy and pleasure erst were found,
Only groans and sighs, I trow,
In its limits now abound.
But no freedom's flowers return
From the spilt blood of the dead,
And the tears of slavery burn,
Which the eyes of orphans shed.

Pity, God, the Magyar, then,
Long by waves of danger tossed;
Help him by Thy strong hand when
He on grief's sea may be lost.
Fate, who for so long did'st frown,
Bring him happy times and ways;
Atoning sorrow hath weighed down
All the sins of all his days.



The opening event of Liszt Year 2011 will feature a joint concert by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir performing three Liszt pieces in Budapest's Palace of Arts. The Philharmonics and the Choir will then give a concert in Brussels in March. In a Liszt Year highlight event the composer's only opera, Don Sanche, will be performed in July in the German town of Bayreuth, where Liszt was buried in 1886.
Another outstanding event will be the World Liszt Day to be held on October 22, the anniversary of the composer's birthday. On that day Liszt's grand oratorio, Christus, will be performed in concert halls around the world from Paris to Seoul.
Other programmes in Budapest include the Liszt Marathon offering classical music and crossover concerts in May and the Liszt and Europe international chamber music festival in the autumn.

He arrived from Russia in his Offenbach travelling carriage, regarded as a novelty, and of which he had two… These carriages were greatly admired. Provided with every luxury, every amazing comfort, they served as a salon and dining-room by day and a bedroom by night.” We can read in Liszt’s contemporary biography about the mobile accommodation used by the artist who criss-crossed Europe many times in the course of his career, which was well suited to the citizen of the world at home almost everywhere, and to the lifestyle of this wandering romantic. Liszt did, in fact, feel at home in many different regions of the continent, travelling between the countries, kingdoms and principalities of a Europe that in many respects was even more diverse than it is today. The performing virtuoso delighted in this colourful variety, the striking features and sound characteristics of the national cultures; the attentive and sensitive composer understood and made use of them. As a result the beloved melodies of a whole host of nations can be heard in his piano pieces: old Hussite songs and Neapolitan canzone, Spanish rondo and festive polonaise, God Save the Queen, and naturally a whole series of Hungarian songs and rhapsodies. As a young man Liszt became a true citizen of the world in the liberal atmosphere of Parisian artistic society, and later as the musical leader of the principality of Weimer he staunchly preserved his European outlook and his grandly confident ease of manner, just as later as resident of the “eternal city”, or as a piano professor in Budapest. His was a truly international career: he wrote a French opera (Don Sanche, composed when he was still in his early teens), he established a German music society and a Hungarian academy of music, and like the many concert venues and awards, Liszt’s generous charity knew no borders – from Hamburg to Paris, from Bonn to Budapest. It would appear that the great man’s love life also demonstrated his ability to transcend linguistic and ethnic (as well as social) differences, but his international host of students was at least as convincing evidence of his constant openness and lack of prejudice. Perhaps the most eloquent proof of this openness was Liszt’s activity in Weimar: in the city that had almost entirely lost its colour after the death of Goethe he had the works of the most progressive German composers of the time performed, as well as compositions by Berlioz and Verdi, and even in 1877, well after his official departure, he used his prestige to have the world première of Camille Saint-Saëns’s opera, the still popular Samson and Delila, held in Weimar. And yet our kinsman everywhere you go!” reads the second line of Vörösmarty’s Ode to Liszt already cited above, and the musician’s entire long life bore witness to the soundness of the poet’s trust. Because although this son of Doborján never became proficient in the Hungarian language, Franz Liszt never forgot his national allegiance and patriotic duty. “It is my lodestar that one day Hungary will be able to point to me with pride,” he once wrote, while in another letter he summed up his active patriotism eager to be of use: “The essential thing for me can be summed up thus: as I was born in Hungary it is fitting that they should benefit here, however slightly, from my musical talent. Rather than flaunting my patriotism with empty phrases, I am striving to accomplish the tasks that go with it.”

Budapest as tourists see it

I have guided my American friends in Budapest. I tried to watch the city as a tourist.
Here is the result. :))

J'ai guide mes amis américains à Budapest. J'ai essayé de regarder la ville comme un touriste. Voici le résultat. :)))

Ich habe meiner amerikanischen Freunde in Budapest geführt. Ich versuchte die Stadt als Tourist zu sehen. Hier ist das Ergebnis. :))

Toxic sludge flood

Already have 10 people died and many hundreds wounded.
Many people in critical condition from the caustic lye.
The village had today completely evacuated.

Bereits haben 10 Menschen starben und hunderte verletzt.
Viele Menschen in kritischem Zustand aus der Natronlauge.
Das Dorf hatte heute vollständig evakuiert.

Déjà 10 personnes sont mortes et plusieurs centaines blessés.
Beaucoup de gens dans un état critique de la lessive caustique.
Le village a aujourd'hui complètement évacué.

Industrial catastrophe

Toxic sludge flood
After first dismay , here are some photos. Will be here life sometime?

Inondations boues toxiques
Après première consternation, voici quelques photos. Sera la vie un jour ici?

Giftig Schlamm Hochwasser
Nach dem ersten Schock hier sind einige Fotos. Wird hier nocheinmal ein menschliche Leben ?

Election / Wahl / Élections de 2010

Around eight million Hungarians are now at 6.00 clock to choose 386 deputies for a new parliament. Public opinion poll expect a strong shift to the right and a change of government. In those individual constituencies where no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, it comes in two weeks (April 25) to a runoff. For the right-conservative Federation of Young Democrats (Fidesz) below its top candidate Viktor Orban is emerging in the polls is a clear victory. Orban was already prime minister from 1998 to 2002. The ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) will have to go after eight years in power expected in the opposition. The right-wing party Jobbik (the better) is likely to create for the first time to enter parliament. The polling stations close at 19.00 clock.



Rund acht Millionen Ungarn sind heute um 6.00 Uhr 386 Abgeordnete ein neues Parlament zu wählen. Meinungsforscher rechnen mit einem starken Rechtsruck und einem Regierungswechsel. In jenen Einzelwahlkreisen, in denen kein Kandidat mehr als 50 Prozent der Stimmen erringt, kommt es in zwei Wochen (25. April) zu einer Stichwahl. Für den rechts-konservativen Bund Junger Demokraten (FIDESZ) unter seinem Spitzenkandidaten Viktor Orban zeichnet sich in den Umfragen ein klarer Sieg ab. Orban war bereits von 1998 bis 2002 Ministerpräsident. Die regierende Ungarische Sozialistische Partei (MSZP) wird nach acht Jahren an der Macht voraussichtlich in die Opposition gehen müssen. Die rechtsextreme Partei Jobbik (Die Besseren) dürfte erstmals den Einzug ins Parlament schaffen. Die Wahllokale schließen um 19.00 Uhr.



Environ huit millions de Hongrois sont maintenant à 6,00 horloge de choisir 386 députés pour un nouveau parlement. Sondage d'opinion publique s'attendent à un fort mouvement vers la droite et un changement de gouvernement. Dans ces différentes circonscriptions où aucun candidat n'obtient plus de 50 pour cent des voix, il se décline en deux semaines (25 avril) à un ruissellement. Pour la droite conservatrice Fédération des jeunes démocrates (Fidesz) en dessous de sa tête de liste, Viktor Orban, est en train dans les sondages est une victoire claire. Orban était déjà ministre préférentiel qui passe de 1998 à 2002. L'arrêt Parti socialiste hongrois (MSZP) devra aller au bout de huit années au pouvoir prévu dans l'opposition. Le parti de droite Jobbik (le meilleur) est susceptible de créer pour la première fois pour entrer au parlement. Les bureaux de vote fermeront à 19h00 horloge.

Hongrois célèbres/Berühmte Ungarn /Famous Hungarians

Quelques inventions, qui a donné la Hongrie pour le Monde.
Einige ungarische Erfindungen, was gab Ungarn für die Welt.
Some hungarian inventions what made available for the world.