A National Justification for 'Hungarianness'

A National Justification for 'Hungarianness'

By Svitlana Serogina

If there is a monument in Budapest that defines "Hungarianness" it is the Millennium Monument (Millenáriumi Emlékmű). Built to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Hungarian state, it is an imposing structure that forges both history and myth into one symbolic monument to mark this major milestone for Hungarians.

This grand monument is focused on the major column, on top of which stands a statue of the Archangel Gabriel holding the symbols of the Kingdom of Hungary -- the Crown of St Stephen and the Hungarian Double Cross. Below the column are statues of the 7 tribal leaders that led the conquest, fronted by Árpád -- the "father" of the Hungarian state. The grand monument features colonnades on both sides, each with statues of key individuals of history in the same motif of sevens.

Construction for the Millennium Monument began in 1896, traditionally seen as the 1000th anniversary of the conquest of the Carpathian Basin by invading Hungarian tribes. The seven statues of tribal leaders, including Árpád, marks that conquest and founding of the Hungarian state a thousand years earlier. Although much is known about Árpád and the conquest, there is far less known about the other six figures; some argue there was too much mythical license being taken. However, this is not uncommon, as many nations' national myths blend known history and folkloric tales.

The statue of Gabriel, delivering the symbols of the Kingdom of Hungary, plays heavily into the myth of the divine nature of the Hungarian state. The symbols of Christianity, adopted by St Stephen in 1000 (again, the double play on the word "millennium"), is key to linking the two different uses of the term "millennium" -- the base with the seven statues represents the millennium since the conquest and founding of the state, the column's top represents the millennium since the divine-bequested kingdom was made official by the crown from the Pope.

The colonnades also contribute to this pantheon of heroes idea. The first section comprises of statues of seven of the most significant kings of the Kingdom of Hungary, such as St Stephen and Béla IV. These seven kings are seen as the most significant in the country's pre-Habsburg history, making it very clear that the country has a history as strong as its Habsburg link at the time of its construction.

The second set of colonnade statues are far more interesting. At its founding, the seven statues represented Habsburg rulers of the Dual Kingdom of Astro-Hungary. However, when the monument was restored following major damage during World War II, the Habsburg statues were replaced with Hungarian heroes such as Lajos Kossuth. This replacement completed the cycle, removing the Habsburg aspect when Hungarians were diminished in the large empire, and replacing it with symbols of Hungarian strength and freedom.

In essence, the Millennium Monument in Budapest is the epitome of the myth of the Hungarian state, almost like a justification of its existence. From its conquest and founding, to its divine grant, to its royalty to its heroes, this monument has it all. Its play on the dual meaning of "millennium" adds to its strength, showing how venerable and strong the Hungarian nation has been over a thousand years. There are few symbols around the world that consolidates history and myth so well as this monument, and it really defines "Hungarianness" to the world -- and to Hungarians themselves.