The prestigious legacy of the Horthy family has symbolically returned home to Hungary, to the National Archives of the Hungarian National Archives, which is expected to physically arrive in the Bécsi kapu tér palace in the second half of December. The documents are expected to be available to researchers in the first quarter of next year.
In a ceremonial setting, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 30, the legacy of the Horthy family was symbolically transferred to the Hungarian National Archives (MNL), which was handed over by the grandson of the late governor, Miklós Horthy, István Sharif Horthy, and his great-grandson, Miklós Horthy Stewart. At the event held in the exhibition and conference hall of the Bécsi kapu tér palace, Csaba Szabó, the director general of the MNL, spoke about, among other things, how the personality of the late Miklós Horthy is still divisive, and historians judged and judge the activities of the governor in different ways.
However, we keep 90 kilometers of documents in the National Archives of the Hungarian National Archives. We preserve the documents of the righteous Mátyás Hunyadi, and we are very happy if even a single document from his estate is found. If we find out about it, we "hunt" it down and try to buy it from the antique shop or wherever. And we preserve the documents of János Kádár or Mátyás Rákosi in the same way. These materials are documents of the Hungarian nation, an integral part of our history. Think of it like a puzzle, from which if small particles are missing, the picture is incomplete
- emphasized Csaba Szabó. He added: so far the picture was not complete, Miklós Horthy's legacy was missing from it.
Understanding the past
In his speech, István Sharif Horthy pointed out that the current inheritance ceremony is the fruit of ten years of work, in which his son, Miklós Horthy Stewart, and historian Andrea Bern, the curator of the document legacy, participated in addition to himself.
And of course, this celebration is also the culmination of my mother's (Ilona Edelsheim-Gyulai - ed.) life work. We are celebrating two events today, on the one hand, the fact that the letters, photographs and documents preserved by my mother István Horthy, which she left to me before her death, will be placed in a final and dignified place.
István Sharif Horthy explained. He added: in addition, a book of considerable thickness will be ceremonially presented today.
The grandson of the late governor emphasized: the Horthy legacy returning to Hungary is about the past, but it speaks to the future and can help us understand important details. And these can lead to social tensions and past traumas being resolved and alleviated.
In his speech, Miklós Horthy Stewart recalled his grandmother, who, according to his words, "wasn't afraid of many things, this strength enabled her to love people and stand up for others. He was always cheerful and playful, and above all, open and honest when dealing with people.”
His honesty made it easy for us to give him everything. Of course, he wasn't a perfect man, but in times when the truth is easily lost under the guise of false perfection, sometimes humility doesn't hurt. To empower others to discover the truth for themselves
- said Miklós Horthy Stewart, who, during his greeting, handed over the wedding dress of his grandmother Ilona Edelsheim-Gyulai (widow of Deputy Governor István Horthy) to Gábor Tomka, Deputy Director General responsible for collections of the Hungarian National Museum.
The legacy has come a long way
In his greeting, Andrea Bern expressed his joy that the documents of the Horthy family will be placed in their proper and final place. Regarding the history and documents of the Horthy estate, he drew attention to the fact that the family moved several times between 1914 and 1994, changing countries several times. He recalled that when the late governor's wife died in 1959, the deed was inherited by her daughter-in-law. Istvánné Horthy moved three times within Portugal between 1955 and 2008, and after her second husband died, she settled in southern England and lived next door to her son until her death in 2013.
The documents of the inheritance, depending on the time of their creation, traveled through one section or the whole of the moving line
he added.
In his speech, Gábor Tomka thanked the Horthy family for the wedding dress that Ilona Edelsheim-Gyulai (widow of Deputy Governor István Horthy) had donated to the Hungarian National Museum. According to his words, with this, the Horthy family revived an old tradition and carried it on, since aristocratic families, public figures and citizens have often offered their collections to the museum in the past and increased the institution with their donations. The deputy director general responsible for collections of the Hungarian National Museum has promised that the wedding dress that has just been taken over will be given a worthy place in the institution.
The full article can be read on the website of the Hungarian National Archives!
Featured image: Zsuzsanna Lantos (MNL OL)
