Isn’t it intriguing how a patch of trees can spark so much debate? We are standing before the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves. It is a group of black pines on the side of Nyéki Hill. This seemingly ordinary collection has become a topic of local legend.
The Nagy-Magyarország fenyves may represent something far more significant than just a forest. Some believe it is a living tribute to historical Hungary. Specifically Hungary before the Treaty of Trianon. The treaty resulted in significant territorial losses for the country.
The story goes that in the 1930s scouts planted these trees. They were planted to mirror the map of Greater Hungary. Imagine that a verdant symbol of a nation’s past.
Winter unveils the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves most distinctly. When deciduous trees shed their leaves the evergreen pines stand out. From a distance one can see a green shape on the hillside. Some say it resembles the borders of old Hungary.
This idea is not just a figment of the imagination of commuters waiting for a tram. It first appeared in writing in a 2012 book. The book was titled Budapest in the Shadow of Dictatorships. It presented the site as a revisionist memorial.
The book noted that many memorials protested the Treaty of Trianon. Only one remains in its original form but it is largely unknown. This one is in Hűvösvölgy on the southwest side of Nyéki Hill. Scouts planted a pine forest mimicking the map of Greater Hungary in the 1930s. The contours resemble the borders of historical Hungary.
Following the book’s publication the internet discovered the spot. People even collected similar plant-based memorials. Maps now sometimes mark the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves. They say scouts planted it in 1933. That year Hungary hosted the World Scout Jamboree in Gödöllő. The planting commemorated the territories lost in Trianon.
However some say a local forester not scouts created it. He supposedly worked quietly for decades to create the lost country’s map. There is no central directive because no records exist in forestry plans. No contemporary press mentions it either.
So is the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves a legend or reality? It is hard to say definitively whether we are seeing Greater Hungary on Nyéki Hill.
Searching for written documents about this forest patch has proved fruitless. Historians familiar with the period could not offer more details. They only mentioned other memorials exist too. Such as the Hungarian Justice Well in front of FSZEK. It also commemorates Trianon.
Exploring the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves reveals a steep rocky hillside. Black pines cling to this slope. Geological texts identify this as Lower Oligocene Hárshegy sandstone. It is amazing that these small pines can survive here. Climbing above the branches gives you great views. You can see the surrounding hills and Pesthidegkút.
Animal tracks mark the ground among the trees. Deer wild boars and small predators inhabit this area. Dog walkers also frequent it.
An artificial rampart sits on the hilltop. It was likely built during World War II. Several similar ones exist in nearby forests. Today a homeless person uses the rampart. The Nagy-Magyarország fenyves small paths are likely their regular stomping ground.
The trees’ arrangement shows little planning. They do not line up or form a chain. No memorial stones or inscriptions mark the ground. The trees’ trunk thickness is also thought-provoking. Despite the harsh terrain they do not appear 80 years old. Their trunk circumference is barely over a meter.
Black pines often appear in areas vulnerable to erosion. The intensive population growth heavily impacted Budapest’s forests. People needed firewood. Barren hillsides replaced destroyed forests.
Intensive reforestation began in the 1880s. They used black pines from the Mediterranean. This species tolerates extreme conditions well. Soil erosion stopped and native species could return.
Beneath the pines on Nyéki Hill small oaks sprout. The original planting succeeded here as well. So even if the Nagy-Magyarország fenyves does not represent historical Hungary it preserves Vadaskert.