Eloise and I are going to try to highlight our wonderful trip to Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. Our intention is to record our thoughts more in an ad hoc fashion rather than from a particular perspective. 

 

All four cities possess significant influence over their respective countries. Although each of these cities can trace their roots for over a 1000 years, all of them grew dramatically from 1870 until 1914. After the collapse of communism in 1989, these cities have entered another prosperous period. All of them have spent considerable financial resources to restore many of their memorable buildings.

 

We were extremely fortunate to experience unusually warm and dry weather. This allowed us much greater mobility and motivated us to see many more museums, churches, and palaces than we would have under normal weather conditions.

 

Lastly, our choice of these four cities was influenced significantly by personal and family references with the exception of Budapest. When I discuss each of the individual cities, I will mention some of these unique ties. Although our mission was not to focus either on the past or current Jewish presence, we were motivated to visit the old Jewish quarters in Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. Unfortunately, the impact of the holocaust and communism was so devastating to Jewish life that even after the destruction of both totalitarian regimes, only a fraction of practicing Jews remains. One of my cousins once commented that Judaism survived because of the fanatical adherence of its community despite repeated inquisitions, inequities, and expulsions. The more tolerant and less religious atmosphere that persists in these communities today might not be conducive to the development of a large, significant Jewish community. For the most part, the remaining Jewish community reflects immigration from Israel, Iran, and the former counties controlled by the Soviet Union. These people and their descendents have significant latitude in choosing their life style. Thus, Jews will no longer be confined to ghettos or Jewish quarters. Thus, they will probably take on more the identity of their nation rather than live existences separate from their contemporaries.

 

Hamburg: (May 9-10)

Hamburg, situated between the Alster and Elbe River, possesses wonderful natural beauty with its clean canals, countless bridges, and thoughtfully laid out business district. Hamburg boasts of being the Venice of the North and having more bridges than any other European city.

 

In Hamburg, we had the good fortune to stay with Eloise’s brother, Chris Lynch and his wife Linda. Fortunately both of his daughters Megin, who is attending Vanderbilt University and Meredith who will enter University of San Francisco were all in Hamburg. Chris who is Counsel General of Hamburg has a wonderful duplex apartment overlooking a beautiful canal. From his terraces, I could see a large number of crew and sail boats on the canal. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that sailing is actively pursued throughout the year, despite very cold weather. We did find Hamburg a particularly attractive city, and enjoyed some casual sight seeing during our stay. 

 

Hamburg, given its easy access to the North Sea as well as to Berlin, enjoys a meaningful commercial presence. Hamburg was founded about 825, and became the seat of the archbishopric. During its history, Hamburg was a key member of the Hanseatic League and was an independent free city-state until 1870 when it was absorbed into the German empire. Hamburg provided a fertile environment for a number of commercial enterprises that benefited from its position as the major seaport for Germany, and, therefore prospered significantly until World War I.  Although heavily bombed during World War II, Hamburg’s prosperity has reemerged. It now enjoys the second highest per capita income in Europe behind central London. 

 

Although not a cultural center, Hamburg does have six museums. We only visited one of them with Chris. This museum had a broad spectrum of items—musical instruments, archeological digs from Egypt and Mesopotamia, and other assorted items. Fortunately for us, Chris was able to interpret what we saw, because the descriptions were all in German. I also thought it was interesting that Hamburg has an open “red light” district where the prostitutes wear the coats of their pimps. Another antidote is that the Beetles spent several seasons in Hamburg before emerging as world famous celebrities.

 

We attended a tea hosted by Linda for Hamburg’s Women’s International Zionist Organization. At this present surprise were approximately 40 guests (including three elderly men). Approximately 30% of the attendees were native Germans. The others came from diverse places such as Israel, Iran, and formerly Eastern bloc countries or the Soviet Union. I would have loved to hear the different life stories of the attendees for truly these people have not lived traditional, comfortable lives. One native German gentleman survived the holocaust by fleeing to Glasgow, Scotland shortly before the outbreak of World War II. I did not speak to any Jewish person who lived either in Germany or in a concentration camp during the war so that I cannot comment on their experiences during the Nazi era. While it is hard to make generalizations from casual meetings in such a setting, I do believe that the Jews in Hamburg do enjoy living both in Hamburg and in Germany. They believe strongly that they can achieve a good standard of living and participate fully in community activities. Thus, I would suspect that over time the Jewish community would grow from some 5000 to a larger number.

 

Berlin (May 11-15)

We drove with Chris and Megin to Berlin, about a three- hour drive, and began our new adventure. Berlin covers about 343 million square miles and has about 3.5 million people. The physical area of Berlin was greatly expanded after World War I for administrative purposes. Prior to that expansion, Berlin consisted of what we refer to as “East Berlin” and a small part of West Berlin. Thus, when my father who studied at the University of Berlin commented about the city, I think he was referring to its ancient geographical area.

 

Berlin was a divided city from 1945-1989. The German Democratic Government, the communist puppet regime, erected the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stop the exodus of East Germans to the west. After the erection of the Wall, the official GDR policy was to shoot anyone attempting to escape to the West. In 1989 the wall was destroyed, and Germany was reunified in 1991. Since 1991, all of Berlin has experienced a building boom. Where possible, the authorities have restored the buildings’ exterior similar to their original architectural style.

 

Our first stop in Berlin was the Checkpoint Charlie museum. Just for historical purposes, prior to the reunification of Berlin and Germany, West Berlin was a tiny allied enclave within East Germany. People who desired to travel into East Berlin had to get clearance from the allies, at Checkpoint Charlie, and then get additional clearance from the Eastern German authorities, some twenty yards away. I found the Checkpoint Charlie museum particularly moving, because the museum highlighted the many people who died trying to flee communism. The museum displayed or described many of the ingenious methods that people employed to escape.

 

We then visited the Charlottenburg Palace. The palace, started in 1695, was intended as a summer home for Sophie Charlotte, the wife of the Elector Friedrich II.. The castle was expanded over the next 60 years, particularly during the reign of Frederick the Great. According to the guide- book, it possesses richly decorated interiors unequaled in Berlin. I think one has to interject a little humor and some objectivity in describing one’s vacations, because part of traveling requires adapting to disappointments. In this case, despite the attendance of Chris, who knows German fluently, we were completely at a loss when visiting this museum. First of all, in order to protect the original wooden floors, we had to put on slippers over our shoes. Thus, throughout our tour we were shuffling at a seemingly fast pace throughout the many rooms on the second floor. Secondly, we could only visit these rooms as part of a group where the lecture was only in German. Although we were given English written translations, we went through the rooms so fast that I was never entirely comfortable that what I was reading conformed to the specific room we were visiting. In some type of haze Eloise and I emerged from this visit without truly appreciating the interior beauty of the palace. Because this palace was in West Berlin, some thirty minutes from our hotel, we left a little dejected, having wasted over three hours in total. Moreover, knowing that we would not have the benefit of Chris thereafter, I was not certain how much educationally we would get out of the rest of our Berlin stay.

 

The next day we started out enthusiastically with our carefully prepared agenda, and again ended up somewhat frustrated. Our hotel was located within a few blocks of Humboldt University (formerly called Berlin University) that my father attended in 1929. My father used this University as a research center for his Ph.D. thesis on the split between the Bolshevik and Menshevik parties between 1898-1903. He subsequently received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Humboldt University does not really have a campus such as we enjoy in the United States. Instead, it has a number of disparate buildings, spread out over East Berlin. Most of the buildings appeared closed for vacation; however, we were able to enter their library and speak to the librarian about the University. As my brother-in law Chris reminded me, this University is an example of the many duplications that currently exist in Berlin. That is, because this University was located in East Berlin, West Berlin citizens frustrated by the procedures involved in passage to and from the University decided to form the Free University in West Berlin in 1948. Today, both universities exist and remain independent institutions. Berlin currently has 150 museums, some of them created solely to house the divided collections that corresponded to the creation of two separate cities from 1945 until 1989.

 

Our next visit was to the Pergamon museum, built between 1912-30. It houses truly one of the most famous collections of antiquities in Europe, and owes its name to the Pergamon Altar. We saw just a tiny fraction of the museum’s collection, the Greek and Roman antiquities. The central section of the ground floor contains mammoth reconstructions of ancient monumental statues originally erected to honor the many deities of this particular community. One leaves this museum with tremendous admiration for the archeological excavations by German expeditions to the Near and Middle East at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.  Moreover, transporting these findings back to Germany must have in itself been a Herculean task.

 

We decided then to enjoy one of the many delightful cafes located on Museum Island, where the Pergamon museum is located. Afterwards we determined to walk along Unter Den Linder (Around the Linden Tree) one of Berlin’s grand avenues. This street and its environs were first developed during the eighteenth century, and has the highest concentration of historic buildings in the city. Today, it has acquired many cafes and restaurants and trendy stores. We had lunch at the Hotel Adlon that is considered to be the most important society venues in Berlin.  After lunch, our goal was to reach the Museum of Musical Instruments. This museum houses a harpsichord owned by Frererick the Great and violins made by Amati and Stradivarius. Unfortunately, we arrived at the Museum slightly before closing time (5:00 P.M.) and had to return the next day.

 

Starting May 13th, we had the benefit of a wonderful guide, Jan Weber, who worked diligently and ceaselessly to help us effectively use our time in Berlin. We initially walked part of the historical Berlin center in the "Mitte" (center) district. We started at our hotel close to Friedrichstrasse railway station, going along Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden (Under the Lindentrees, the main old boulevard of the historical center). We saw the "Forum Fridericianum", made up of several old Prussian buildings and Bebelplatz (a square) in-between. It includes the main building of Humboldt university, the German State's Opera, the Catholic St.Hedwig's Cathedral. In the middle of the square, which was then still called "Opernplatz" is where the infamous burning of books by the Nazis took place in 1933.  SA men and students publicly burned books by authors they thought inferior - including Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Mann, Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig, Erich Kästner and many others. Today in the middle of the square there is an underground room with empty book shelves to remind people of this attack on intellectual freedom. Eloise and I were visibly shaken by the site of this “burning of books” in the midst of such a cultural center. Moreover, we were disappointed that there was not some monument on the street level describing this assault on learning.

 

We then went to the so-called Spree Island (surrounded by river "Spree" and "Spree canal") with "Schlossplatz" (the former location of the Prussian City Palace blown up by East German communists in 1950) and with the museums of "Museum Island" and the Lutheran church "Berliner Dom".

 

From there we went to the northern part of Mitte district, the old Jewish quarter. In the place where once the Old Synagogue of Berlin (built in 1714) stood, are today only a lawn and some trees. However, on that lawn, there is a moving work of sculpture by the sculptress Ingeborg Hunzinger. It is a remebrance to the "Women on Rosenstrasse". In February/March 1943, SS and Gestapo thugs had taken Jewish husbands who were married to "Aryan" wives and their children to a Jewish Community building on Rosenstrasse 2-4.  This building was used as a detention center for 1.500 - 2000 people. Their wives went to that building and shouted for their husbands and their children to be given back to them. The exact number is not known, but probably at least 1.000 women kept demonstrating for several days. Their courageous behavior led the Nazi regime to fear a bad impact on the morale of the population.  The timing of the demonstration took place at a time when the Germans visibly started to lose the war. Specifically, the Germans had just suffered the horrendous defeat at the battle of Stalingrad. These women on Rosenstrasse successfully defied Nazi policies. Moreover, they were successful in their public resistance against the Nazi regime, because their husbands were released. Most of these Jewish spouses escaped deportation and survived. Eloise and I had to ask the obvious question. If Goebbels, a fanatical anti-Semite follower of Hitler would back down in the face of 1000-2000 unarmed women, could not consistent allied pressure on the Nazis put some restraint on their demonic extermination policies?

 

The Jewish Quarter in Berlin-Mitte today sees a revival of Jewish culture. In the Hackesche Höfe building complex, there is a small Jewish theater, with performances of Jewish plays and Jewish song. On Oranienburger Strasse, the front building of the New Synagogue (built 1859-66) was renovated. Its impressive gilded dome in "Moorish Style" was reconstructed in 1991. It is now called the New Synagogue - Center Judaicum and has a wonderful permanent exhibition about Jewish history in Berlin. Although there are about 12000 Jews in Berlin, I do not believe that except for one of the anterooms there are any Jewish services performed here.

 

In a neighboring building, we found Oren, a Jewish restaurant, where we had a light meal, sitting outside in the courtyard in lovely weather.

 

In the afternoon, we went to the Culture Forum (Kulturforum) made up of post-war buildings including several museums and the philharmonic hall (Philharmonie) where the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra gives concerts regularly. We returned to the Museum of Musical Instruments. Although it took two tries, visiting the musical museum was clearly worth the effort. Having little formal exposure to music, I am working hard to learn at least some very basic elements. At the Museum of Applied Arts "Kunstgewerbemuseum", we saw medieval jewelrey, old porcelain, and antique furniture. 

 

The next day, May 14th, we went to the city of Potsdam (140.000 inhabitants) that borders Berlin (3,4 million inhabitants) on the southwestern side. On the way, we passed by the "Rathaus Schöneberg", the town hall of Schöneberg, which was an independent town until joined with Berlin in 1920. That town hall was built in 1914, and it was seat of the West-Berlin mayor and local West-Berlin parliament 1948-1990 when the city of Berlin was divided. On June 26th, 1963, U. S. President John F. Kennedy held his famous speech in front of hundreds of thousands of West-Berliners, reassuring them of the continuous support of the U. S. for West-Berlin, culminating in the statement "All free men wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner'" (I am a Berliner), which made his audience cheer his name.

 

In the southwest of Berlin, we also visited the "House of the Wannsee Conference", where Richard Heydrich chaired a meeting of fourteen high-ranking civil servants and SS-officers in this mansion. Aside from Adolph Eichmann, I did not recognize any of the other attendees. This purpose of this conference held on January 20th, 1942, was to improve the organization and implementation of “The Final Solution.” Since the decision to murder European Jews had already been made earlier, these men focused on ways to eliminate red tape so that they could effectively murder 11 million European Jews.  We saw one original type written paper produced at that conference that listed the Jewish population of Europe, broken down by countries. This paper indicated to me the fanatical evil intent of the Germans. In stark contrast to the bestial intent of the participants, the conference was held in a former private villa with a beautiful garden, close to the shores of a natural lake named "Wannsee". Today that villa contains a museum documenting the Holocaust. It is unfortunate that several of the participants at this conference lived full lives, after serving very light sentences.

 

We went over Glienicke bridge, which connects Berlin to Potsdam. Below, there is the river Havel. Between 1952 and 1989, the bridge could only be used by very few people, mostly diplomats and military personnel on their way to the military missions located in the city of Potsdam. Otherwise, the bridge was inaccessible and a part of the border between West Berlin and the city of Potsdam, which belonged to the GDR. It was sometimes used for the exchange of spies between East and West.

 

In the city of Potsdam, we saw baroque two-storied houses from the 18th century as well as 19th century-villas still lining the streets. Potsdam also is surrounded with natural lakes and with parks once designed for various Prussian kings and members of their families. Until 1918, when the monarchy was ended, Potsdam was the second town of residence for the Prussian kings. Some Prussian kings, e.g. King Frederick II. "The Great", even preferred Potsdam over Berlin, the main Prussian capital. Altogether between 1701 (Frederick I.) and 1918 (William II.) there were 9 Prussian kings, and they were all named either "Frederick" (Friedrich) or "William" (Wilhelm) or "Frederick William" (Friedrich Wilhelm).

 

We had a salad in the "Kutscherhof" restaurant close to the park of Sanssouci, before seeing the "Friedenskirche" (Church of Peace) built 1845-55. Entering the park of Sanssouci, we walked until we had a glorious view, standing at the fountain at the foot of a terraced hill (originally with vineyard culture) on top of which stands the main "Sanssouci" Palace of King Frederick the Great, built 1745-47. It is now open for tourists, but unfortunately Monday is closing day for most of the museums in Berlin and Potsdam. Thus, I would love to return to Sansouci when we could enter the premises.

 

Finally, we saw the Cecilienhof Palace where the "Potsdam Conference" was held (July 17th - August 2nd, 1945), which determined to a large extent the fate of post-war Germany. United States President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced during the conference by Clement Attlee after the Conservatives lost the elections) and Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin attended the conference. This palace (built in the style of English cottage houses) was built from 1914-17 for the last Crown Prince, William, and his wife, Cecilie. Today the Cecilienhof Palace contains a hotel, but the main rooms of the Potsdam Conference have become a museum. Again, Monday is the closing day, so we could not go in, but looked into the palace from the outside.

 

After a very full day, we returned to our hotel close to 6:00 P.M., enjoyed a quick dinner, and got ready for our early departure to Prague.

 

Prague (May 15-17)

Prague, the capital of the newly-formed Czech Republic, is a truly beautiful city that fortunately was not damaged during World War II. Unlike the depressed atmosphere we experienced in 1969, Prague is truly a “fun” city, bursting with exuberance. We were energized by the many young people that occupy the old city. Both between World War I and since their independence from the Soviet Union, the Czech people have demonstrated tremendous ingenuity, industriousness, and a passion for democracy. This city of about 1 million population is made up of five ancient towns with the Vltava, a tributary of the Elbe, running through its center. By the early 10th century Prague was a thriving market town.

Christianity was brought to Bohemia about 863. Nevertheless, pagans and Christians struggled for supremacy for some 100 years. Prince Wenceslas became Prince of Bohemia in 921. In 935 his brother Boleslav, who wished to continue the pagan traditions, savagely assassinated him. For his martyrdom, Wenceslas was canonized, and a square near the old city is named for him. Ultimately, the Bohemians accepted Christianity. 

 

During the middle Ages, Prague enjoyed a golden age, especially during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.  Charles instigated the founding and building of many institutions, including the first University of Central Europe. The University’s first Czech rector was Jan Hus, the reforming preacher whose was executed in 1415 for preaching against many of the Catholic Church’s abuses. His followers, the Hussites, were finally defeated at the Battle of Lipany in 1434. During the 16th century, after a succession of weak kings, the Austrian Habsburgs, took over Bohemia, beginning a rule that lasted almost 400 years until the end of World War I. Unfortunately, Prague was heavily involved in the wars between the Protestants and Catholics and suffered financially until the beginning of the 19th century. During the 19th century, a period of national revival and civil pride, several great monuments-the National Museum, The National Theatre and the Rudolfinum-were built.

 

Fortunately, Jack and Anna Levy, the children of our friends Alex and Linda live in Prague. Jack, despite a limited knowledge of Czech, has started a successful business, providing accounting and payroll services to Czech companies. He hopes to expand his business to Budapest and Warsaw over the next six months, using a very sophisticated internet software program that his staff has developed. Jack mentioned that when he first came to Prague in the early 1990’s, there were thousands of Americans. A combination of poor economic conditions in Prague and a strong United States economy has led to an exodus of most of those American entrepreneurs.

 

Jack met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. Later on, we went by his office and spent an hour going over his software package. In the evening, Jack, Anna, Eloise and I enjoyed a delightful dinner next to the waterfront. We walked about 20 minutes through the old town and crossed the Charles Bridge. From our restaurant, we enjoyed a spectacular view of the heart of the city.

 

The heart of the city if the Old Town is its central square. This area has many historic monuments and buildings.  Some of the high lights are the Jan Hus Monument, the Old Town Hall with its famous astronomical clock, and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The church’s Gothic steeples are the Old Town’s most distinctive landmarks. Also in the old city is the Municipal House, one of Prague’s most prominent Art Nouveau buildings. This building is the city’s principal concert venue. At this site, on October 28, 1918 the new independent state of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed. On the South side of the Old Town Square are houses of Romanesque or Gothic origin. Franz Kafka lived in the Old Town, and in his old residence is a museum dedicated to him. Although his writings were fictional, he predicted the development of the totalitarian state and much of the horrors of the twentieth century.

 

Because Czechoslovakia was under Communist rule from 1948 until 1989, many of the churches have dual purposes. That is, they are both places of worship as well as concert halls.

 

In 1969, Eloise and I first visited Prague. We were in Munich and at the last moment thought a trip to Prague would be interesting. The country has recently been reoccupied by Russian troops, and a reactionary regime had replaced the liberal communist, Dubcek. Thus, the people were depressed and Prague’s buildings reflected the traumatizing utilitarian communist rule. Only by chance, did Eloise and I stumble upon the old Jewish quarter. Needless to say, we were transfixed by the experience. First of all, a combination of factors—lack of English, latent anti-Semitism of the regime, and fear of speaking openly to American visitors, -- made it difficult to find the Jewish quarter. When we did reach the old Jewish quarter, we were emotionally and visibly overwhelmed. In fact, this was our first visit to what we now call a Holocaust museum.  Hitler had chosen Prague to be an anti-Jewish center place. Thus, many Jewish artifacts from all over Europe were brought to Prague as part of a pan for a museum to “an extinct race.” The former Sephardic synagogue housed an amazing display of Jewish items. While most of the museum attendants were not Jewish, one of the curators was a Jewish survivor of Auswitz. She indicated that there were few Jewish residents still in Czechoslovakia because of the holocaust and the migration to Israel by the survivors. In this synagogue was a moving display of drawings by children imprisoned in the Terezin concentration camp. Very few of these children survived the Nazi persecution. Outside of the synagogue was the decaying Jewish cemetery, Because Jews were confined to a ghetto, Jews were buried 12 deep. Moreover, most of the tombstones were either cracked or reclining. 

 

On our return, much had changed. First of all, the Jewish Center is a major tourist attraction. Secondly, the Jewish artifacts are now housed in several synagogues. Thirdly, one museum has the name and date of death of some 80000 Prague Jews. While I certainly still believe that the Jewish Quarter is a major holocaust site, Eloise and I had a more dispassionate response than in 1969. In part, I believe that losing the element of surprise made a difference. Also, our visits of other holocaust sites such as Washington D.C, Israel, and New York City has reduced personally the influence of this center. Lastly, since 1969 there have been many books, films, and plays describing the Jewish tragedy. Thus, we feel that the Jewish Center in Prague has become an important but not unique testament to the barbarous treatment of our fellow Jews.

 

Before leaving the old Jewish center, I do want to note specially that at the top of one of the remaining synagogues is a clock with Hebrew letters for the numbers and where the numbers ascend around the circle from left to right. That is, they go counter “clockwise.”

 

I would like to mention our visit to the Prague Castle founded in the 9th century by Prince Bofivoj, high above the river Vltava. The castle has been rebuilt many times, most notably during the reigns of Charles IV and Rudollph II. Later it was used only occasionally by the Habsburgs who resided primarily in Vienna. Since 1918 it has been the seat of the president of the Republic, and therefore we were not allowed entrance into the castle.  Behind the Castle, there are churches, chapel halls, and towers representing architectural styles of every period of its history. Thus, in a short distance one can see Renaissance, Gothic, Late Baroque and Neo-Classical styles. We only had a little time to visit the picture gallery located in one of the restored stables of the castle.

 

On our last day in Prague, we visited again Wencelas Square.  We spent some time in the National Museum, located in the former Lobkowicz Palace. The palace dominates one end of the square. This museum traces Czech history from the first settlement of the Czech lands to the present by means of documents, paintings, engravings, jewelry, glass sculpture and weapons. 

 

Needless to say, we were sad to leave Prague, and look forward to a return visit.

 

Budapest (May 18-21)

Neither Eloise nor I had ever visited Budapest, but friends encouraged us to visit this city. We certainly enjoyed our stay in Budapest, and hope others make the pilgrimage. Although the city has only been able to restore a portion of its once beautiful buildings, the city retains much charm and has been utilized by movie producers who wish to exploit its ambience. In fact, the movie, Evita, which portrays the life of Eva Peron was shot in Budapest. We found the residents most courteous and very anxious that we enjoy our stay. Budapest, a city of some 2 million people, dominates Hungary, a country of 10 million. Budapest was unified in 1873 from the former separate cities of Buda, Pest and Obuda. In 1867, Austria established in principle the equality of Hungary. From 1867-1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire included a broad spectrum of ethnic groups. These groups now make up such countries as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other Balkan states. The Hungarians are very proud of their heritage and regret the significant loss of territory following both World War I and World War II.

 

To understand Hungary, one must remember that this is a country that has lost many wars, A brief history of Hungary might be helpful. The Roman Empire extended their empire to the Danube from the 1st to the 5th century A.D. The Romans enjoyed the warm water spas from the Carpathian Basin. These spas remain a tourist attraction where people enjoy the hot geyser waters, mud baths, and massages.  From the 5th century to the 896, Budapest was occupied by a succession of migratory tribes. In 896, the Magyar (Hungarians) conquered the Carpathian Basis under their leader Prince Arpad. In 1000 Stephen I became the first Christian king. From 1240-1, Mongol armies under Batu Khan overran Hungary leaving it in ashes. However, they quickly retreated because of internal dissention. Bela IV in gratitude to God for sparing Hungary from the Tatars dedicated his daughter, Margaret, aged 9, to the Church. Until her death at the age of 28, she was a fanatical nun, living on an island between Buda and Pest in the Danube. Subsequently, the island was renamed after her and she was canonized in 1943.  From 1458-90, King Matthias ruled. He defeated Moslem invaders and introduced the Golden Age of Buda and ideas of the Renaissance. In 1541, began a 150-year Turkish occupation of Buda and Pest. In 1686 the Habsburgs leading a Christian coalition drove the Turks out, and began their occupation. In 1849 the first permanent link connecting Buda and Pest, the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, was completed. Also, during this period, Hungary was caught up in the liberal revolutions that swept Europe. These liberal revolts were brutally suppressed by a combination of German, Austrian, and Russian troops. In 1867, Ferene Dead negotiated a compromise with the Habsburgs, who were weakened by their defeat at the hand of the Prussians. The compromise created a Dual Monarchy, giving Hungarians considerable autonomy and restoring control over Transylvania and Croatia. Jews were given full legal autonomy. Hungary regained control over Transylvania, now part of Romania, and Croatia. Franz Joseph and Eliizabeth were crowned King and Queen of Hungary. In 1872, the three towns, Buda, Pest, and Obuda were united as Budapest. After World War I, a separate Hungarian state was established. Hungary lost two-thirds of its former territory to Romaina, Yugoslavia, Czechsolovakia and Austria.  Similar to many combatant states, Hungary was devastated by its defeat in World War I. In 1919, Bela Kun, a supporter of the Soviet Revolution, proclaimed the Hungarian Council Republic that lasted for 133 days. Ultimately, a very conservative government overturned this fledgling Communist republic. Its new leader, Admiral Horthy who had strong faschist leanings, formed an alliance with Mussolini’s Italy. In 1933, Hungarian Nazis formed the Arrow Cross Party. In 1938, his government established anti-Jewish laws setting a quota on Jews in the professions and subsequently banned Jews from top positions. Horthy, however, did physically protect his Jewish subjects. In 1944, Hungary like Italy tried to end their active belligerence. The Germans immediately sent in troops, imposed a much more strident Nazi regime under Ferenc Szalasi, and quickly began policies aimed at eradicating the Jewish population. From 1944-1945, Adolph Eichman was the senior administrator of the extermination policy. His headquarters were the Dohany Street Synagogue. From December 1944 until February 1945, the Russians and Germans fought a fierce battle over Budapest, destroying much of the city. From 1945 until 1989, the Russians imposed a communist dictatorial regime. In 1989, a center-right coalition was elected, defeating the communists. The economic turmoil associated with the transition to capitalism has been particularly difficult for Hungary. In 1994 the Socialist Party (former Communists) formed a coalition government. Even today, the socialists attract some thirty percent of the vote. Currently, a coalition led by the Young Democrats rules Hungary.

 

I would now like to provide some overview of our stay in Budapest. Our hotel was located in Pest (the flat area) in comparison to Buda that is quite hilly.  Our first night we ate a restaurant near our hotel, called Kisplpa Bendeglo.  This restaurant has historical significance because the Young Democrats, now the ruling party of Hungary, was founded here. Unfortunately, the cuisine was so plain that I would pass up the opportunity to relive a portion of Hungary’s history.

 

The next day, we visited the old Jewish quarter. Hungary currently has about 100,000 Jews of which about 80,000 live in Budapest. There are some 23 active synagogues spread among the 23 districts of Budapest. There are very few Jews who currently reside in the old Jewish district.

 

Pest never had a Jewish ghetto in the traditional sense. In 1800 Pest opened its doors to Jews.  By the middle of the 19th century, most Jews were speaking Hungarian rather than German and had become enthusiastic Magyars. In 1840 Jews were allowed for the first time to buy property in towns. For the most part, Jews sided with the Hungarians during the 1948-49 revolution. In recognition of their role, they became full citizens in 1867.  Over time Jews congregated in a special area of Pest. Today, with the exception of the Dohany Street Synagogue and the Kazinczy Street Orthodox synagogue, the other Jewish synagogues located in the “Jewish District” do not active religious services. The Dohany synagogue, completed in 1859, indicated the growing importance of Jews in the cultural and commercial life of Hungary. The Dohany synagogue reflected much of the “liberal” thinking of the times. That is, while the synagogue maintained most of the traditional customs, its design reflected some modern and reform concepts such as the utilization of an organ and an Eastern flavor. This monumental structure seating 3,000 has two copper cupolas above its two steeples. The hall-like rectangle interior is divided into three parts. It has two side aisles where women can sit instead of being confined only to its two balconies. At the time of its building, there were several homes adjacent to the synagogue. Theodore Hertzl, the founder of Zionism, was born in one of these homes. In 1929, the houses were torn down and turned into a courtyard.  In March 1944, Eichman made the balconies the Dohany Synagogue his headquarters. He supervised the deportation of Hungarian Jews from this location, and, therefore, enacted policies that led to the death of some 600,000 Hungarian Jews. To show his utter contempt for Jews, Eichman also used the downstairs part of the sanctuary to house horses.  This courtyard next to the Dohany synagogue, now called Heroes Cemetery, became a mass grave for the thousands of Jews who were killed or died of starvation in this area in 1944-5.  A silver weeping willing monument was erected in this courtyard to commemorate victims of the holocaust. Throughout the Jewish quarter, inconspicuous entrances open on to fascinating courtyards. In one of these courtyards is a memorial that commemorates the activities of Carl Lutz, a Swiss emissary, who along. with the Sweede Raoul Wallenberg, risked his life to save Jews. The memorial to Carl Lutz is that of a golden angel who holds the robes of a bandaged man who is reclining and begging for help. Also in the Jewish quarter is a monument to Raoul Wallenberg, the Sweedish diplomat who lost his life in his courageous efforts to save Jews.

 

The synagogue was restored in large part by a foundation set up by Tony Curtis who is of Hungarian-Jewish descent. We were told that on the high holidays, the synagogue is completely packed, and Jews purchase specific seats to worship in. However, when we returned to the synagogue on Saturday, there were less than 10 men in attendance and a few women in the aisle. The service seemed very disorganized, with each of the participants chanting at their own pace. However, on occasions they would suddenly join together in a prayer. Altogether, it was a pretty bleak experience, and Eloise and I left after some thirty minutes. 

 

On the afternoon of our first full day in Hungary, we visited the Castle district that is in Buda. Although the Hungarian National Museum is in the Castle, we could not visit it because it currently is under renovation. Afterwards, we drove around both Buda and Pest enjoying its many historical buildings. Although we had several wonderful guides, I still had tremendous difficulty absorbing the names of the places we were visiting. That is, since the Hungarian language is so different from English, it is difficult to recall the specific names of important places.
 

 

The next day, we visited the center of Buda, saw two of its historical monuments—the Hero Square (Statues celebrating the Magyar conquerors) and the Victory Square (Commemorating the Russian Victory over the Nazis.) We walked down one of Buda’s most prominent boulevards, Vaci Way, where many of the fancy stores are located. We ate lunch at a very fashionable café, Gerbaud Coffee House, and enjoyed the ambience of this beautiful setting. Afterwards, we visited the Matthias Church that today has had a restored Gothic façade, with a beautiful tile roof. In this Church, Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth were crowned to the music of Franz Liszt’s “Coronation Mass.” This church is the symbol of Buda’s Castle District.

 

While we were in Budapest, we attended two major musical performances, the Swan Lake Ballet, and the Salome Opera at the State Opera House. Built between 1873-84, the exterior shows a classical graciousness.  The auditorium itself glitters in a gold and scarlet display.   We were able to walk along Andrassy Boulevard, Pest’s most famous promenade, to get to the Opera House. This boulevard is lined with cafes, several theatres, and other museums. 

 

On our last day in Budapest, we had several interesting excursions. First of all, we walked to a very modern shopping mall filled with many Western stores. Secondly, we visited the Museum of Fine Arts. Some of its best pieces include Rafaels’s Madonna, Rembrandt’s Old Rabbi, and several outstanding El Grecos and Goyas. We also visited the Hungarian National Gallery, which houses Hungarian art from medieval times to the 20th century. We also toured the Hungarian Parliament that was modeled after the Windsor Parliament in London. Although the Russians withdrew from Hungary in 1990, they forced the Hungarians to put a red star on the central cupola. Temporarily, the crown of St. Stephen is housed in the Parliament. This crown not only is a national symbol but also has religious significance. The crown with its crooked cross is a copy of the original crown used when St. Stephen converted in 1000.

 

In conclusion, Eloise and I treasure this trip. Over the past eight months, we have enjoyed three wonderful visits to Europe.  In October, we visited Danielle who was studying in Caan, France to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary. In February we went to London to celebrate both Eloise’s and her sister Liz’s birthday. Thus, we really have enjoyed ourselves this year. While we do not know our next destination, we expect to cross the ocean again while we can still endure both the pleasures and pains of travel.