By ERNIE NEUFELD, Weyburn Review Associate Publisher
"The Russians took everything they could carry. Then
they went through the palace with their horses and ruined what
was left - all the treasures so carefully wrapped to preserve
them through a terrible war."
The scene was Esterhazy Palace in Hungary, not many miles from
the Austrian border. The above quotation represents the gist of
what was told us by the palace guide to explain the lack of artifacts
and original furniture in the enormous palace built by Nikolaus
Count Esterhazy to rival the palace of Versailles built in the
mid-1600s by King Louis XIV of France.
The Esterhazy extravaganza - the palace, the grounds, or both - fell short of the Versailles model by only one-tenth, we were told. It also failed to impress to the extent of the French prototype.
A special plum for the count was that famous musical genius Joseph Haydn was indentured (for all purposes) there for 30 years. We walked through rooms in which he had composed and performed many of the musical works he created during that period.
To me, on my recent visit to that country, the state of the palace epitomized the sad 20th century history of a little nation that was on the wrong side of World War 2, then compounded it by being on the wrong side of the peace that followed. The contrast between it and beautiful, prosperous Austria just next door seemed a part of the same story, and was apparent the moment we crossed the border. Near-shabbiness and disrepair seemed the norm in a beautifully endowed country.
Hungary had been occupied by the Russians long enough to establish a Communist-leaning government that came apart only after the breakup of the Soviet empire and the fall of the Berlin wall some 15 years ago.
It seems likely the poverty of Hungary since World War 2 was also fueled to a considerable extent by Soviet zeal in exploiting its satellites to reinforce appearances of progress and strength in certain fields for the benefit of Russia proper and the world. That had its beginning immediately after the Russian Revolution, and in my opinion set the pattern for countries that found themselves in the Soviet bloc at the end of the last war.
Regardless of all this, however, work in progress at the palace mirrors the determination of Hungary's 10 million people to restore their land to its former glory.
Gyri (pronounced Uri), the young guide who accompanied us through our visit of a few days in the country proudly told us of the exposition held in 1896 in the country's principal city, Budapest, in proud celebration of its 1,000 years of existence as a nation; an underground subway system, one of the first in Europe, was built at the same time.
Using every opportunity to dwell on his country's history, Gyri told us it was settled many centuries ago by Mongols from Asia. By now, it is difficult to find any Hungarians with Mongol features, he said, but an important reminder of them is the Hungarian language, structurally based on that of the early invaders, and having little in common with any European language except Finnish and Estonian, both a great distance removed.
A group member asked Gyri (in his early 20s) about compulsory military service in Hungary, and while he acknowledged its existence, he admitted there were many ways of getting around it. He told us quite unabashedly that he had pleaded suicidal tendencies, and that this had secured him exemption or deferral.
Budapest, we learned prior to visiting it, consists of two former cities, Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube River, called the Duna in that country. A number of bridges across the wide river united the two sides, but all or most of them were blown up by the retreating German army to retard the Russians close on their heels. Major bridges have been rebuilt to their original design, among many examples of the nation's determination to reclaim its traditional dignity.
Whatever my disappointment with the "blue" Danube
as seen in Vienna, the downstream elegance that flows through
Budapest compensates in grandness. Like Vienna and Salzburg, it
easily merits a return visit.
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