A fractured altar stands before us. It symbolizes a nation torn apart. This is the Trianoni eml\u00e9km\u0171 War memorial. It implicitly claims the expanse of pre-1920 Hungary.
The Trianoni eml\u00e9km\u0171 commemorates the Treaty of Trianon. It is a national wound that still festers. The treaty signed in 1920 ceded two-thirds of Hungary. It also ceded 3.3 million compatriots.
The memorial features over 12000 names carved into granite walls. These are the names of towns and villages of 1913 Hungary. The 100-metre-long ramp leads down to a crypt-like apse. Here, the symbolic altar stands.
The upright slabs of the altar are fractured. They represent the torn body of the nation. An eternal flame burns within. Visitors can walk around the memorial.
The Trianoni eml\u00e9km\u0171 occupies a former carriageway. It is at the mouth of Alkotm\u00e1ny utca. This effectively turns the street into a dead end. Some fear it could obstruct future demonstrations.
The monument’s design received mixed reviews. Some applauded its understated nature. This was a contrast to other sculptures in Budapest. Others criticized its fraudulent comparison to memorials like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Critics point out the artificiality of many place names on the memorial. Thousands of Hungarian names are creations from the Magyarizing frenzy around 1900. One article called the memorial a deliberate falsification of history.
In 1900, Magyar majorities existed in only 37% of settlements. These settlements were included in the Kingdom of Hungary. In contrast, native Hungarians were less than 1% in 27% of villages. By the time of the Trianon Treaty, many settlements had newly Magyarized names.
The goal of renaming was to restore forgotten Hungarian names. Officials acted as if all settlements were founded by Hungarian speakers. In reality, this was not the case.
The made-up names represent a dual projection. Magyar nationalists projected a Magyar Hungary back to the past. They hoped to bring it about in the present. This golden age was separated from the present by narratives of decline and rebirth.
The names in the 1913 gazetteer acquired an aura of naturalness. They were used in road maps and encyclopedias. Even Wikipedia and Google Maps adopted these names.
The Orb\u00e1n regime freed memory politics from professional discourses. It let the national community enjoy itself. By peddling conspiracy theories, it reinforced rebellion against civilization.
The regime latched onto a memory tradition favored by its supporters. This tradition interprets the downsizing of Hungary. It has been filtered through the K\u00e1d\u00e1r Era.
The Trianoni eml\u00e9km\u0171 only acknowledges Hungary’s multi-national past on a discreet plaque. The plaque dedicates the memorial to Saint Stephen’s Hungary. It calls it a home for the Hungarian nation and cohabiting peoples.
The memory of Greater Hungary was expelled into cold memory during the Socialist period. However, it also instilled a rigid nation-state norm in people’s minds. Citizens overwhelmingly lived with fellow Magyars.
Some suggest the memorial is primarily for Magyars from neighboring countries. These groups were given the right to vote. Over the past century, successor states have engineered place names. A disproportionate share fell on Hungarian-speaking localities.
By the early 1990s, some thought irredentist nostalgia was fading. The opposite happened. The old right-wing community of memory revived. They tied the cultures of defeat into a victimhood narrative.
The Treaty of Trianon is the symbolic axis of the national space. It is a hub organizing knowledge about the past. Trianon embodies the force preventing the nation from unfolding its essence.
Focusing on the treaty narrows the narrative to Magyars. It retrospectively Magyarizes the land. The dismantling of Hungary becomes an act of violence. Conspiracy theories explain it.
Even in the minds of Orb\u00e1n’s supporters, Greater Hungary is subordinated to the community of the K\u00e1d\u00e1r era. The monument puts Hungarian place names in the role of victim. It is designed to compensate for the stolen pleasure. The memorial ramp may mourn the bright national future that never came to pass.