Hungary’s Controversial War Memorial Simplified
20 March 2014 — artist creates a provocative model for the ruling party’s planned war memorial on the 70th anniversary of Hungary’s German military occupation
Hungary’s ruling party is not only controlling all branches of government, but also public space. Remember when they sacked a bunch of linguists and geographers from their jobs when they had second thoughts about the party’s enthusiasm to change geographical and street names? This year the fight goes for war and Holocaust memorials.
Earlier this year Fidesz announced to hastily erect a war memorial on the prominent Liberty Square to commemorate Hungary’s German occupation — without any planning, public debate or any competition of artistic concept. Similarly to a secretly and quickly assembled Holocaust memorial in a railway station where Jews were not deported but which was available.
The scandalous plan was criticized by Hungarian public intellectuals, citizens, Jewish groups and even by Germany. It is not only ugly, but it symbolizes a blame shifting for Nazi Germany’s last ally. It portrays occupied Hungary as a victim, even though Hungary was fighting side by side with Hitler and Hungarian have been long participating in the Holocaust. (Due to the international protest the plans were shelved until the controversial general elections in April.)
The planned memorial uses an archaic symbolicism that is not only ugly but may be incomprehensible for the everyday Hungarian. Maybe the eagle will be easily matched with Germany but the angel figure has not been used to symbolize Hungary since the fall of the kingdom.
A Hungarian artist Prolidepp created a much simpler and more straightforward version of this concept, A német megszállás igaz története / The true story of the German occupation. (Check the artist’s site on this link for more pictures and his other work — only in Hungarian.)
In his realistic work, Hungary is represented by the puli dog, commonly identified as a Hungarian shephard, which is screwed by a German shephard. Hitler is appeasing Hungary with the Wienerschnitzel, which takes the shape of Greater-Hungary. This is a direct reference for the first and second Vienna Awards where Hitler gave Hungary territories lost after the WW1 in exchange for supporting his European agenda.
The loss of half a million Jewish Hungarians is not shown in either of the memorials.
Credit is due to the Hungarian language cink.hu for bringing this story to my attention.
