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Hungary Shaken by "Statueatory" Rape Crisis
The past year in Hungary has seen some interesting political trends. We've had politicians admitting they're lying boneheads, some unexpected riots, lingerie models almost slipping into a important government position, and then some expected riots that failed to materialize. But all this excitement has overshadowed some other bizarre - and not particularly welcome - socio-political trends, including what seems to be a widespread and growing nationwide craze for defacing or stealing statues and other symbolic monuments.
Who is killing the great statues of Hungary? The constant defacing of Budapest's controversial Soviet war memorial (top) may be understandable. Trashing József Antall (above, right) or Sissi (below)? Not so much.
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That angry anti-Communists would continue to deface the Soviet army memorial in Budapest is not particularly shocking. Given its large size, gilded "Soviet" five-pointed star (a symbol that, if painted red, would be illegal in Hungary) and ironic location on Szabadság tér ("Freedom Square"), it would be a miracle if the occasional Hungarian patriot didn't stop by to chuck a balloon full of paint or motor oil on it. But what about the defacing of the memorial to Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising in Budapest's City Park (Városliget) last December, which left it covered with red paint and "unintelligible writing"? And the statue of the Magyar-loving Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") on Döbrentei tér, which last week was defaced to the tune of several hundred thousand forints by being splashed with diesel fuel. This most recent trashing of Sissi is a clear escalation, as in the last attack she was merely draped in a burka. It came just a few days after a bust of the late József Antall - Hungary's first post-communist prime minister - had been doused in red paint in Budapest's District I (picture at top of story), which itself followed the theft in May of another statue of Antall over in District XV. But Antall was not the first such "first-of" premier to be targeted; back in February, a statue of Mihály Károlyi - the president of the first Republic of Hungary - was also painted red. And the same day that the Antall bust attack was reported, it was also revealed that Sir Winston Churchill had gotten the vörös festék treatment in Budapest. If it takes three examples to make a trend, well, you do the math...
But it's when you get out of the realm of politics that the magnitude and bizarreness of Hungary's monument desecration craze becomes evident. Take the destruction in July of a memorial to the "Golden Team" in Szeged. If there's one thing that everyone in Hungary should be able to support - or at least everyone who fits the profile of a midnight monument vandal - it's a memorial to the plucky 1950s-era football squad that so famously beat England 6-3 back in '53. But apparently not.
And if football isn't sacrosanct, monuments to hallowed religious leaders or prophets don't stand a chance. Back in April, statues of Mahatma Gandhi, St. Francis of Assisi and Dharma were stolen from Budapest's Philosopher's Garden on the side of Gellért Hill, while the following month a small wooden statue of St. Jude Thaddeus was stolen from a church in Eger. Then, in August, a 40 kilogram bust of controversial former Prime Minister Pál Teleki was pinched from its perch in Gödöllő.
Now, it's fairly obvious that there are several different "elements" at work here. One is Hungary's large contingent of aggrieved übernationalists, and the second includes a smaller number of people who hate those in the first group. The third - the people who keep dissing Sissi - are probably just garden-variety vandals, pranksters or random public-space defilers. A fourth group, composed of professional or semi-pro thieves, is probably responsible for the various cases of "statue-napping," as metal statues usually contain enough valuable base materials to be worth melting down for scrap; the theft of the Teleki statue promoted Gödöllő Mayor György Gémesi to demand that the trading of scrap metal become a state-run monopoly, an idea that is gaining currency. While each of these groups has differing or opposite goals, the result of their actions is the same: A situation in which one of the most long-established forms of expressing community has instead become a leading indicator of social strife and decay.
So maybe it's best if Hungary's thousands of statues and monuments were crated up and shipped off somewhere else, at least until the people they were created for learn how to show a little more respect. Unfortunately, finding a safe place may take a little research; just around a year ago a statue of the 19th century Hungarian poet and revolutionary Sándor Petőfi was attacked and damaged by unknown assailants in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.
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COMMENT!It’s a simple matter of supply and demand: Budapest has way too many statues and bronze heads cluttering the cityscape. Even Rome, with its renowned artistic tradition and history of being run by megalomaniacs, has fewer.
Here the currency has been cheapened and devalued by overuse. Many of those portrayed weren’t that impressive, so it’s no wonder they aren’t getting respect. How many countries have busts of dozens of agronomists, for chrissake? (They’re along the walls of the Agriculture Ministsry.)
A good start would be a moratorium on monuments to anyone not dead for at least 25 years. There’s already at least one of József Antall, and talk of another of Pope John Paul II.
After that, we can move onto melting down some of the more recent erections on grounds of artistic meretriciousness. There was a fine traditon of public sculpture in the 70s and 80s, many of them quite moving and inventive, but standards have declined precipitously.
Some eyesores that would look better as scrap metal are the ridiculous statue of Shakespeare on Vígadó tér, the ludicrous skeletons with theatre masks outside the Thália Színház and the mediocre statue of mediocre politician Béla Kovács near Parliament. There’s also a new one of somebody and his dog somewhere that has got to go.
Maybe I’ll get into the scrap metal business myself . . .
What pompous drivel. Maybe some of these statues aren't that impressive to you, but do you speak for the entire city? No.
Maybe its the hordes of clueless, pseudo intellectuals like yourself that are cluttering up the Budapest landscape.
No doubt you'll move on to book burning after your grubby paws have melted down everything they can.
And crikey, agronomists outside the Agriculture Ministry. What a surprise!!
I venture that we should put a bust of Krusty the clown right outside your house, as frankly, that's what you are sir!
This is an unfortunate trend. Personally I think that some of the vandalism may be traced down to a section of the young population who seem to have lost touch with any pride in their home country. The soviets have been gone for almost twenty years now. There are now young kids just on the verge of adulthood who cannot look back and remember the collapse of the Soviet Union, The revolt in 56' was half a century ago now. Is the current generation of Magyar parents doing enough to instill a sense of national pride and respect into the hearts and minds of their children?
Hey, Rambler, let’s not get personal. That’s what destroys most blogs, after all.
Though I’d assumed, for some reason, that Pestiside readers had a sense of humour. I’d love a statue of Krusty outside my house.
And excuse me if this comment section is limited to those who speak for the entire city. I didn’t know.
My point was that there are too many statues and plaques honouring mediocre or peripheral figures. The local pols who decide on these things would be better off spending time and money on something useful.
And some of the statues are just plain bad. If anyone deserves a statue, it’s Sándor Petöfi; but don’t you think he looks silly in that toga?
Vvajk: You´re right. The subject of history is not just to terrorize pupils in school, but to give the subject a sense of belonging, and - most importantly - a historical knowledge which is the basis for understanding changes.
A lot of students "google" history, but this is a dead end: The man without history; entré MTV, gameshows, pop, porno and "I just want to be famous" aspirations etc..
One must "feel", have a basic understanding of history to sense changes - and to "feel" a belonging.
