Poles in Hungary live in small groups; about one-third of them live in Budapest.
Poles in Hungary have a history of one thousand years; it is almost as ancient as the historical Hungarian state. This coexistence is principally due to the dynastic relations between the two countries, the battles fought together and the resulting strong brotherhood in arms; other reasons include the settlement of Polish scientists, artists and craftsmen in the Kingdom of Hungary and the fact that closed rural settlements started to evolve in the early Middle Ages. Nevertheless, the continuous presence of the Pole started no sooner than in the early 18th century.
One of the most significant and glorious chapters of the history of the Poles in Hungary – and, at the same time, of the Polish and Hungarian nations – is the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49, when thousands of Polish military officers and infantrymen performed their duties under the leadership of Generals Bem and Dembiński. Another chapter of paramount importance is the period of the Second World War: when the forces of Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939, more than 100,000 persons (Polish soldiers and civilians) found refuge in Hungary until the end of the war or at least for a temporary period. The friendship of the two nations grew even stronger when during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 the Polish nation showed active solidarity with the Hungarians.
The self-organisation of the Poles in Hungary started in 1867. After the Second World War, the Hungarian Communist machinery of state dissolved the Polish organizations and expropriated their property. The process of self-organisation started again as late as in 1958; the national minority movement proper, however, could evolve only after 1990, that is, at the beginning of the full independence of Republic of Hungary.
The two most important settlements with respect to the history of the Polish national minority in Hungary is Derenk (since 1717) and Kőbánya (second half of the 19th century). Derenk is a national place of remembrance for ethnic Poles in Hungary; within the framework of the National Development Plan, the National Self-Government of the Polish Minority created an open-air exhibition in the territory of the deserted settlement (eliminated in 1941-43). In Kőbánya, where the largest ethnic Polish community had evolved by the beginning of the 20th century, a Polish Church was constructed (in 1927; since 1991 it has operated as a parish) and then, somewhat later, the ‘Polish House’ (expropriated and then given back to the Poles in 1998; reconstructed in 2000-2002).
The Poles, living in small communities, created 49 municipal and 2 medium-level self-governments of the Polish minority during the 2010 elections. The National Self-Government of the Polish Minority (hereinafter ‘OLKÖ’), established in 1995, functions as an organisation of interest representation. To strengthen the cultural autonomy of the Poles in Hungary, the OLKÖ established the institutions below:
The two major national-level cultural events of ethnic Poles in Hungary are Saint Ladislaus Day, organised every June in honour of the patron saint of ethnic Poles living in Hungary, and the Derenk Festival of July. People arrive to participate in these events from all regions of Hungary. These festivals strengthen the sense of community in ethnic Poles and deepen the friendly relations between the two nations.
The inauguration of the Polish-Hungarian Friendship Memorial in March 2006 served the same purpose. The event was a starting point for the state festival ‘Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day’, organised in Hungarian and Polish locations on 23 May every year.
Social organisations of various sizes operate in all regions of Hungary and play an active role in guaranteeing cultural autonomy. The two major national-level organisations are the Józef Bem Cultural Association of Poles in Hungary (established 53 years ago) and the Święty Wojciech Association of Polish Catholics in Hungary, an association that is related to the Polish Personal Parish in Kőbánya and operates in the building of the Polish House. Due to the activity of local Polish self-governments and social organisations, several towns (Békéscsaba, Győr, Sárvár, Székesfehérvár, Tata, etc.) have an intense cultural life.
Polish-language mass media also contributes to guaranteeing the cultural autonomy of ethnic Poles, for example:
So do associations of Polish culture and of preservation of traditions, for example:
Ethnic Poles living in Hungary published numerous literary and historical works; they are introduced to the public by the Museum Ethnic Poles in Hungary and certain social organisations.
Faithful to their traditions, ethnic Poles in Hungary attach great importance to paying due respect to their heroes and dead: they commemorate historic events, maintain memorial places, and renovate and maintain graves of the Polish soldiers who died in the Second World War. They maintain regular contact with their mother country and with Polish organisations all over the world.
The most important task to be done is to involve the youth in our common causes through interesting programmes, competitions, sports and cultural events, and student exchange programmes. Student exchange programmes are open to students who pursue their studies at Polish departments of Hungarian universities (Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences of Budapest, the University of Debrecen and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University of Piliscsaba) or in the National School of the Polish Language: they may spend up to one week in a Polish school so that they can experience the living language and get to know Polish students. In order to preserve our traditions and language and deepen Hungarian-Polish friendship, we intend to involve the youth in such activities. Therefore, we continue to organise joint programmes with the Association for Polish-Hungarian Relations as we did last year.
Another prioritised task of ours is to maintain the economic and cultural relations of Hungarian-Polish twin towns and to increase their number (presently, there are approximately 150 twin towns).