The Situation of Hungarians
Living outside the Carpathian Basin
Links
1. WESTERN EUROPE

The number of Hungarians living in Western Europe – with the exception of Austria – is approximately 260,000 to 270,000. The aggregate as well as the
individual population data of the various countries are based partly on census data and partly on estimates. The latter are needed because in some
countries, the official data do not fully indicate the actual number of the Hungarian population. Since the fall of the iron curtain, it has been difficult to
keep exactly track of the Hungarians (by descent or citizenship) residing for various reasons or rights in the countries of Western Europe. The uncertainty
factor is further raised by the fact that individuals of Hungarian nationality emigrating from neighboring countries in the past two or three decades have
been registered by the authorities of the host countries according to their original citizenship and not their ethnic origin.
At a conference held on 5–6 June 1999 in Langen, Germany, the leaders of the Central Federation of Hungarian Organizations and Associations in Austria,
the Federation of Hungarian Organizations in Germany (BUOD), the Federation of Hungarian Associations in Switzerland, the Hungarian Federation in the
Netherlands, and the National Federation of Hungarians in Sweden, the participants expressed their desire to establish closer cooperation and mutual
information among the national top organizations in the interest of more effective interest representation and action against attempts to split their unity. Out
the yearly „Langen” meetings held since then grew the decision to establish at a conference held in November 2001 in Stockholm the West European
National Federation of Hungarian Organizations (NYEOMSZSZ) with the participation of 13 organizations — the National Federation of Hungarians in
England, the Central Federation of Hungarian Organizations and Associations in Austria, the Federation of Hungarians in the Czech Lands and Moravia, the
National Federation of Hungarians in Denmark, the „Mihály Munkácsy” Cultural Association of Hungarians in Estonia, the Association of Hungarians in
Finland, the Federation of Hungarians in the Netherlands, the Federation of Hungarians in Latvia, the „István Báthory” Federation of Hungarians in
Lithuania, the Friendly Circle of Hungarians in Norway, and the National Federation of Hungarians in Sweden. The Federation held its most recent regular
annual general assembly in Budapest on 7–8 December 2002.
Nearly half of all Hungarians in Western Europe (some 120,000 to 160,000) live on the territory of the German Federal Republic. Prior to World War II,
Germany was not considered a country of destination for Hungarian emigrants, even though Hungarians had lived in the past in the former German states
and in the post-1870 unified Germany. The majority of the left-wing emigration in the aftermath the 1918–1919 revolutions fled to the Weimar Republic.
This already larger pre-1933 emigré community of artists and licensed technical experts was supplemented after 1933 by skilled laborers and seasonal
agricultural workers. Waves of larger scale immigration took place during the final months of World War II and after the end of the war. Of the nearly
one million Hungarian military and civilian emigrants who, as a consequence of the war and the subsequent collapse, left for „the West” between 1944 and
1945, about 30,000 settled permanently in Germany. In comparison, the size of the Hungarian emigrés who joined them in 1947–48 was insignificant.
During the events of the 1956 Revolution and after its suppression, the size of the Hungarian community grew by an additional 25,000. From that time on,
the GFR became the prime country of destination for political and economic emigrés. From the beginning of the 1960s, Hungarians coming from the
successor states of the Carpathian Basin began to arrive in Germany: 25,000 guest workers from Yugoslavia, 5,000 emigrants from Czechoslovakia
following the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion, and 30,000 from Transylvania after 1975. Until 1989, an additional 15,000 persons fled from Hungary, and
after 1991, about 5,000 war refugees fled from Croatia and Serbia to Germany.
Former foreign workers and immigrants (for example through marriage) living in the former German Democratic Republic form a separate group as well
as the rapidly growing number since 1991 of legal and illegal Hungarian workers and entrepreneurs. It is impossible to determine the exact size of this
group because many of these people do not register with the German authorities and, due to their unresolved legal status, they do not seek (with a few
exceptions) contact with Hungarian organizations.
About 75 percent of the ethnic Hungarians living in Germany reside in the southern part of the country, in Bavaria, Baden–Württemberg, and Hessen. Of
the remaining, 17 percent live in the „old”, pre-reunification provinces (Länder), and 8 percent live in the „new” Länder. Approximately 80 percent of the
Hungarian ethnic group has German citizenship.
Practically from the start, the development of Hungarian organizational activities did not meet with any obstacles in Germany. The most significant 28
organizations are members of the top organization called the Federation of Hungarian Organizations in Germany (Bund Ungarischer Organisationen in
Deutschland – BUOD). In addition, the following organizations constitute the basis of Hungarian community life in Germany:
• the Catholic Hungarian Congregations and Missions, with its 13 priests conducting Hungarian-language mass in 61 localities at least once a month;
• the Hungarian Protestant Congregations, with its seven ministers holding Hungarian-language services in 23 localities at least once a month;
• the Association of Hungarian Scouts Abroad, consisting of 11 scout troops in nine cities;
• the Hungarian High School of Kastl (Kastl b. Amberg), established by Hungarian emigré groups in 1948;
• over 40 various associations functioning in the main Hungarian-inhabited centers serve to promote and preserve Hungarian language and culture, to
which must be added several weekend schools, five dance house associations and theatrical groups located in four cities;
• four religious and secular monthly publications serve to inform members of the community about current news and events in Germany and Hungary.
Charitable activities have traditionally been a strong feature of Hungarian organizations. In this regard, they not only support the actions of German aid
organizations (such as Caritas, Innere Mission, Rotes Kreuz, etc.), but themselves regularly organize significant relief campaigns to help the needy
inhabitants living in the Carpathian Basin. It is their basic principle to support only transparent and concrete projects. The BUOD works out projects,
establishes contacts, and in fact serves as an information center. In this manner, donors send their parcels directly to the recipients.
Through the Western Region of the Hungarian World Federation and the intermediary of the BUOD, the Hungarian organizations in Germany maintain
intensive contacts with the Hungarians living in other countries of the world. Another important professional forum with regard to maintaining contacts is
the international organization of Hungarian entrepreneurs, the Independent Gábor Baross Association, which among other things organizes courses on
marketing and modern information technology throughout the Carpathian Basin.
Hungarian–French migratory ties are extremely manifold and go back many centuries. Until World War II, France occupied first place among the
countries of destination of Hungarian political emigration. From the Middle Ages on, numerous sources provide evidence that a great number of Hungarian
students and academics visited the renown Paris university, the Sorbonne. Part of them did not return home for longer periods of time because of the
domestic political turmoil in Hungary or remained permanently in France.
Following the earlier individual refugees and after the end of the Rákóczi War of Independence (1703–1711), several hundred or perhaps several thousand
„kuruc” fighters enlisted in the service of the king of France. It is from these fighters that the future marshal of France, Count László Bercsényi, formed
the first units of the French light cavalry.
A larger number of Hungarian refugees next arrived in France in 1849–1850 following the defeat of Hungary’s War of Independence against Austria. Until
the end of the 1850s, Paris was the center of this political emigration and its activities were followed with considerable sympathy by the French society.
Those who lived in Paris during those years included Count László Teleki, Count Gyula Andrássy, Count Kázmér Batthyány, General György Klapka, and
other prominent political and military participants in the independence war. Beside the political emigrés, starting in the mid-1850s, a considerable number
of artists, literati, and craftsmen (tailors, furriers, cabinet-makers, etc.) settled down, seeking a better life primarily in Paris but also in other large French
cities.
After World War I, even though France lost its earlier appeal to Hungarian political emigrants, economic emigration continued from the 1920s on, albeit at
a smaller rate. It was only after World II and after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution that France became once again one of the centers of Hungarian political
emigration. At its 1947 congress, the Hungarian Independence Movement, which grouped Hungarian anti-fascists and published Magyar Szemle
(Hungarian Review) assumed the name of Hungarian Democratic Association of France. After the war, the association for a while supported Hungary’s
democratic coalition, then the left-wing communist takeover before breaking up into factions and dissolving. In contrast to the 1945 refugees, a
considerable number of the 1947–1949 emigrés settled down in France. In 1948, with the support of the French Social Democratic Party, Károly Peyer
established the Hungarian Social Democratic Party in Emigration. The party’s journal Szabad Világ (Free World) was first published in February 1950.
From the beginning of the 1950s until the 1970s, Paris became the center of the „bourgeois democratic” and the socialist-inclined Hungarian political
emigration. From the 1960s on, emigré organizations were characterized by a turning away from politics, and emigré activities took place mostly in the
cultural field.
In the aftermath of the 1956 Revolution, some 13,000 Hungarian refugees arrived in France.
Today, the Hungarians residing in France can be grouped according to three criteria: (1) reasons for immigration, (2) time of arrival and (3) cultural
tradition. The number of active organizations has decreased and currently, only the Hungarian Mutual Assistance Society in Paris, the Catholic Mission,
and the Hungarian Freedom Fighters’ Association (MHBK) have significant support. The oldest Hungarian organization in France is the Hungarian Mutual
Assistance Society in Paris founded in 1847 by Mihály Táncsics, and whose leaders have included such widely known figure as the painters Mihály Zichy
and Mihály Munkácsy. The Society organizes annually the Rákóczi commemorative celebrations in Yerres, near Paris.
The Society of Friends of the Hungarian Institute in Paris is one of the more recent initiatives aiming to foster and further develop French–Hungarian
cultural relations. The Club Féminin Hongrois in Paris and the French–Hungarian Cultural Society’s Azura (Côte d’Azur) also promote Hungarian–French
social rapprochement, together with Alcyon — Club des Femme Hongroises á l’Étranger (Club of Hungarian Women Abroad) and the French–Hungarian
Association with seat in Strasbourg. The Hungarian Catholic Mission can be considered as one of the institutions of the Hungarian community in France
carrying out intellectual and cultural activities.
The total number of Hungarians currently living in France is estimated at about 40,000.
The first wave of Hungarian political emigration hit England following the defeat of the 1848–49 War of Independence. Its most prominent figures were
Lajos Kossuth, Ferenc Pulszky and General Lázár Mészáros. Although there was no significant emigration after this period, a small number of political
emigrés, like for example former prime minister Count Mihály Károlyi, came to the country after World War I. The Great Depression in 1929–33 as well
as the effects on Hungary of the political changes in Germany brought the next change in this migration pattern. Count Mihály Károlyi became the
President of the British Hungarian Council founded in 1944 by liberal and leftwing personalities.
After World War II, as a result of Soviet military occupation and the political changes which followed in Hungary, some 5,000 to 6,000 Hungarian
refugees arrived in England, followed by 21,000 more in the aftermath of the suppression of the 1956 Revolution. Today, 25,000 to 30,000 ethnic
Hungarians live in the United Kingdom, 5,000 of them in London and its vicinity.
Hungarian emigrés in England always kept a close watch on developments in their home country, especially since the beginning of the 1980s. Their social
and cultural life as well as their political activities were for decades determined by the need to criticize the political system in Hungary. At the same time,
their attention also extended to the problems and fate of the Hungarian national communities living in the Carpathian Basin. From the late 1980s on and to a
large measure already in line with the new political trends following the change of political regime in Hungary, the emigrant community’s way of thinking
shifted to a greater emphasis on ethnic affinity, the fostering of Hungarian culture, and the redefinition of ethnic identity.
The democratic changes in Hungary proved to be a motivating force in the life of Hungarian organizations in England. On 11 July 1992, social, cultural
and religious organizations which had been operating for decades in the framework of a loose relationship established a joint representative body under the
name of National Federation of Hungarians in England (MAOSZ). At the time of its founding, 14 fellow associations with close to 2,000 members joined
the Federation. Aside from operating as an integrative and interest representation body, this top organization regarded and continues to regard the
cultivation of good relations with Hungary as its fundamental objective.
Following its establishment, the top organization published its journal entitled News from the Life of the National Federation of Hungarians in England,
which was replaced in 1994 by a quarterly titled Hungarian Mirror of England. This publication provides information of general interest about the activities
of the organization as well as news and developments in Hungary of interest to the Hungarian community in England.
To this day, a decisive and particular feature of the Hungarian organizations in England is the active role played by the Hungarian church communities in
preserving ethnic identity and providing spiritual care.
Currently, some 30,000 to 35,000 Hungarians or persons of Hungarian origin live in Sweden (1999 data). Following the exodus of the 1956 refugees,
most of those who arrived came from the countries neighboring Hungary. Most of them had no Hungarian citizenship, except those who were born on the
territories that had been returned to Hungary as a result of the 1938 and 1940 so-called Vienna Awards (namely Northern Transylvania and Southern
Slovakia).
A large number of individuals of Hungarian origin have distinguished themselves through world-famous achievements in England in the fields of science
and culture, and as a result earned high state and social recognition.
There are a total of 32 Hungarian lay organizations active in 17 districts in Sweden. Their umbrella and interest representation organization is the National
Federation of Hungarians in Sweden (SMOSZ) which in recent years has taken effective steps to harmonize the activities of the Hungarian organizations in
the „Nordic region”, that is the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. It also assumes an active role in the cooperation between the Hungarian organizations in
Western Europe.
Among the member organizations of SMOSZ, 24 carry out traditional association activities and, with their events and programs, serve the needs of the
Hungarians living in their respective districts. Furthermore, they consider as their important task the popularization of Hungarian traditions and culture, and
the maintenance of contacts with the official Swedish authorities. In the past fifteen years, professional organizations performing special functions have
been established in addition to the traditional associations. The Book Society of Transylvania publishes annually one book written by an author from
Transylvania or the Carpathian Basin, and the Swedish–Hungarian Relief Organization has the task of organizing and coordinating relief shipments from
Sweden to the Carpathian Basin. The Northern Hungarian Archives, unique among Hungarian organizational activities in the West, collects and catalogues
the written and electronically recorded materials in Northern Europe pertaining to Hungary. Queen St. Gisela Scout Troop No. 61, set up forty years ago,
is one of Western Europe’s oldest scout troops. The Hungarian Ecumenical Literary and Debating Society is the intellectual forum of Sweden’s Hungarian
community. The associations of doctors and engineers group members with similar professional interests. The Tibor Lencse Society was established to
help orphans in the Carpathian Basin, and the Universal Hungarian Fine Arts Association aims at popularizing Hungarian fine arts in Sweden and Northern
Europe. SMOSZ established in 1994 the Society of Hungarian Young People in Sweden as a youth organization embracing the whole country, and in 1999
the Chamber of Hungarian Entrepreneurs in Sweden.
Sweden’s school system guarantees children of immigrant families one to two hours of native-language instruction weekly. In 2000, more than 700 out of
some 1,200 Hungarian children entitled to native-language instruction were receiving Hungarian-language instruction. The instruction is conducted by 50
trained language teachers, some of whom are Hungarian-language graduates from the Hungarian Departments at the universities of Uppsala and of Lund.
SMOSZ has worked out a program to promote native-language instruction which served as a frame for the launching of weekend language instruction,
and set up a foundation to support this program. There are at present weekend schools functioning in 14 cities. Another part of the program applies to the
organization of a native-language summer camp. The success of this initiative is shown by the fact that in 2000 the camp could not accept all those who
had applied. For this reason, SMOSZ plans to expand the native-language summer camps and as a final goal, to start a „summer native-language school”
open during the whole summer.
The native-language program further calls for the organization of the professional training of the native-language instructors, the working out of a uniform
curriculum, the instruction of Hungarian musical native language, and electronic open instruction. Together with the Hungarian Protestant Congregation of
Sweden, the national „poetry and bible reading” competition for students is being held for years now and has become a tradition.
Two Swedish institutions of higher education offer Hungarian-language instruction: the University of Uppsala and the University of Lund. Traditionally, the
Hungarian Departments are not only language education centers but also cultural workshops whose importance is increased by the fact that there is no
Hungarian cultural institute in Sweden.
In 2000, a special task of SMOSZ was the organization of a series of events to honor the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Hungarian state. In
the framework of a program covering the entire year, Hungarian days and Hungarian weeks were organized in 17 districts. Moreover, an international
millennium conference, a fine arts, native-language, and youth camp, and two central gala programs (one in Swedish and one in Hungarian) made
memorable the series of events consisting of several hundred programs.
In accordance with the resolution of its February 2000 general assembly, SMOSZ worked out and submitted to the Swedish government its request
regarding the legal status of the Hungarians living in Sweden. According to the proposal, Sweden’s Hungarians are asking for the establishment of a
Hungarian self-government based on the model of a cultural autonomy.
Hungarian Catholic and Protestant religious services are being held in Sweden since the end of the 1950s. At present, two ministers of the Hungarian
Protestant Congregation of Sweden are serving the entire country, while in the Catholic Mission, visiting priests serve five times a year because of the lack
of clergymen.
Due to the diverse and widespread activities of Hungarian organizations in Sweden, over 1,300 events of any kind are held annually.
In the mid-1990s SMOSZ bought a real estate in Bromma, near Stockholm, on which it set up, after reconstruction, the Hungarian House that provides a
home to various cultural, educational, and other activities.
Following World War II, a large number of Hungarian political emigrants arrived in Switzerland in three major waves: in 1945, 1947–1948 and 1956. The
number of Hungarians living in the country is estimated at about 25,000, including 2,000–3,000 guest workers and refugees from Voivodina and 700 to
800 refugees from the former Czechoslovakia. Of the 15,000 refugees who came in 1956, 1,000 have returned home. Approximately 80 percent of the
emigrants have by now acquired Swiss citizenship. Since a portion of the refugees who arrived in the 1980s were not granted political asylum, they do not
have residency permit, but for humanitarian reasons, have not been forced to leave the country. On the other hand, those who were granted political
asylum have the same rights as Swiss citizens.
Until 1956, Switzerland could not be considered as a country admitting emigrants. While providing refugees with high quality social care, it limited through
strict measures their opportunities to settle down and preferred to see them leave for a third country in the shortest time possible. Refugees with
temporary residence permits in Switzerland were allowed to perform only unskilled labor regardless of their professional qualifications. Their wages were
much lower than those of Swiss workers and they were not allowed to engage in any political activity. In spite of all this, in 1945 and 1947–1948, a
considerable number of Hungarians with political, civil servant and military backgrounds sought refuge in Switzerland and tried to establish social and
political organizations there. Among the better known ones, Imre Kovács, the leader of the Peasant Party, settled down in 1947 in Zürich and made
preparations for establishing the Hungarian Peasant Party. However, former Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy proposed the creation of a different kind of
peasant association and, at a meeting held in March 1949, his viewpoint prevailed. Ultimately, no Hungarian Peasant Party came into being in Switzerland
and both Imre Kovács and Ferenc Nagy left for the United States.
Under the impact of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Switzerland significantly altered its attitude towards refugees. Along with Austria, it was among the
European countries that provided a home to Hungarian refugees far beyond their possibilities and lifted most of the earlier restrictions on immigration. As a
result, in December 1958, the Alliance of Hungarian Christian Workers in Switzerland (SKMMSZ), one of the strongest organizations of ethnic Hungarians
in the country, was founded, with its seat in Zürich, and which presently functions under the name of Alliance of Christian Hungarian Workers. Its charity
and aid activities to support the Hungarian minorities in Transylvania, Transcarpathia, and Voivodina have earned the recognition of the Swiss state and the
U.N.’s refugee organization.
Members of the 1956 Hungarian emigration founded the Hungarian Youth Club of Zürich, which can be considered as the precursor of the Circle of
Friends of Hungarian Literature and Books in Switzerland (SMIKK) formed in 1977. From 1977 on, the Circle organized annually high quality academic
sessions. Its most frequent lecturers were Tamás Bogyay, Tibor Dénes, Mihály Ferdinándy, Péter Gosztony, Tibor Hanák, László Juhász, Éva Saáry, and
Vilmos Csernohorszky. Later the SMIKK also dealt with Hungarian-language book publishing and the organization of art exhibitions. In 1983, it changed
its name to Hungarian Literary and Art Circle in Switzerland, and invited a growing number of lecturers from Hungary. Significant book publishing
activities were also carried out by the European Protestant Hungarian Free Academy.
The Hungarian Association of Geneva, which provided a forum for writers, scientists and artists to present themselves, also deserves mentioning. A
strong member organization of the World Association of Hungarian Engineers and Architects, founded in 1957 in Canada, was established in Switzerland.
The Eastern European Library (Stiftung Schweizerische Osteuropa-Bibliothek) in Bern, founded and maintained by the Swiss Federal Government, had a
rich collection of Hungarian books and press materials. However, its independent status ended after the retirement of its director, Dr. Péter Gosztony. On
the other hand, the Hungarian Library in Geneva, founded and maintained in his own house by Zoltán Szabó, is still functioning. The library presently
holds 30,000 volumes.
The Union of Hungarian Associations in Switzerland (SMESZ), established in 1957, encompasses as top organization all major Hungarian organizations in
Switzerland. At present, 12 of the 14 Hungarian organizations active in Switzerland are members of the Union. The member organizations are regional
with four exceptions. The activities of the Swiss chapter of the World Association of Hungarian Engineers and Architects, the Alliance of Hungarian
Christian Workers, and the Hungarian Literary and Art Circle of Switzerland. Hungarian associations are active in Zürich, Bern, Basel, Baden, Geneva,
Lausanne, Luzern, St.Gallen, and Lugano.
Hungarian-language pastoral care by Roman Catholic priests is available in Zürich, Basel, Bern, and Fribourg, and Reformed (Calvinist) ministers serve in
Zürich, Bern, Geneva, Baden, Basel, Biel, Luzern, St. Gallen, and Lausanne.
Hungarian-language schools operate in Basel and Zürich. With 25 to 30 students, the latter has been an institution fully integrated into and supported by the
educational system of the Canton of Zürich for the past five years. In and in the radius of the more important Swiss cities inhabited by Hungarians, scout
troops traditionally take part in the education of non-first generation young Hungarians and in the preservation of their identity and linguistic culture.
No nationwide Hungarian-language daily or weekly newspaper is published in Switzerland but the periodical Duna (Danube) founded by the late Barna
Gilde continues for more than four decades to be published five to six times a year. Among regional organization bulletins, the most important is the
Hungarian Bulletin of Geneva.
The origins of the Dutch–Hungarian relations go back to the 16th century. Following the period of Reformation, a strong bond was formed between
Dutch and Hungarian Calvinists. This period also marked the beginning of the peregrination of Hungarian students to the Universities of Leiden, Utrecht,
Groningen, Franeker, and Harderwijk. This tradition has since then remained unbroken as many Hungarian students attend Dutch universities to this day.
Of the widely known scholarships created for Reformed theological studies, the most famous one is the Stipendium Bernardium of Utrecht from the 18th
century. Those who studied in Utrecht included János Apáczai Csere and Misztótfalusi Kis Miklós; the latter cut there the engravings of a printing script
which was later named Jansonius script, and is still in use today. In 1676, Admiral Ruyter, on behalf of the Dutch parliament freed from captivity the
Hungarian Protestant pastors sentenced to galley slavery by the viceroy of Naples. Besides Switzerland, the Károli Bible was published for centuries in the
Netherlands.
Following World War I, so-called „childrens’ trains” transported many malnourished Hungarian children to the Netherlands for recovery. The same
happened after World War II, until the Dutch aid campaigns were banned by the Hungarian authorities in 1948. Many lifelong personal relationships and
friendships resulted from these relief actions. During the interwar years, many Hungarians emigrated to the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies in
search of work. The first Hungarian organization in the Netherlands was the Saint Borbála Association, which was founded at the beginning of the 1920s
by Hungarian miners in Limburg; it went out of existence in the 1960s. In chronological order, the second Hungarian organization was the Hungaria Club
of Amsterdam, 1929, which is still in existence today. Prior to World War II, this organization became also known among non-Hungarians. The First
Hungarian Women’s Club in The Hague, founded in the 1930s, gathered the Hungarian women living in The Hague and its vicinity. In the 1970s, the club
suspended its activities. During the period of German occupation, several Hungarians in the Netherlands participated in the Dutch resistance movement.
Following the war, church activities started in 1948, and both the Roman Catholic Church and the Hungarian Reformed Church in the Diaspora appointed
priests and ministers, respectively. Currently, pastoral work is performed by the Roman Catholic Parochial Council and the Dutch Hungarian Protestant
Christian Spiritual Service (a member of the Western European Hungarian Reformed Spiritual Service and of the Hungarian Reformed Church Consultative
Synod, and publisher of a bulletin entitled Jöjjetek! (Come!). The Hungarian House of Vianen, located in the central region of the country, is owned by the
Dutch Hungarian Protestant Christian Spiritual Service and it is home to various Hungarian activities.
In 1951, young Hungarians – many of them university students – founded the Kelemen Mikes Circle of the Netherlands, which today has 200 active and
some 300 supporting members. The circle organizes monthly lectures usually held in Vianen, and since 1959 the famous Academic Days, an annual event
to which lecturers are invited from all over the world. Part of the lectures have also been published since then. Many young people are also active in the
organization. The Hungarian Catholic Student Association, from which the Pax Romana movement later emerged, was also founded in 1951.
Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution in Hungary, a considerable number of refugees arrived in the Netherlands. The refugees were able to
successfully adjust to their new environment without giving up their ethnic identity. In 1957, the Kelemen Mikes Circle and the Hungarian Club of
Amsterdam jointly founded the Federation of Hungarians in Holland as the top organization representing all Hungarians in the Netherlands. The Federation
publishes annually its journal, Dutch–Hungarian News, which provides general information about Hungarian activities in Holland in both the Dutch and
Hungarian languages. The refugees of 1956 founded local organizations in various settlements throughout the country. Noteworthy activities are carried
out by the Kölcsey Society in Alkmaar, the Ferenc Rákóczi Society in Limburg, the Hungarian Women’s Society, the Ede Club, and the Attila Scout
Troop. The Saint Stephen Foundation mobilizes substantial Dutch resources for charitable activities in Hungary.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Federation of Hungarians in the Netherlands established for young second generation Hungarians the Hungarian Youth
Association of the Netherlands, today known as the Széchenyi Society. In 1994, the Circle of Young Hungarians (MAFI) was founded to group young
people temporarily residing in the Netherlands. For children, the Hungarian House in Vianen operates an increasingly popular camp named Wanderer. Its
publication by the same title is aimed at both children and adults. Now In Hungarian! is a privately-funded, very successful bilingual periodical.
Hungarian instruction is available in two institutions of higher education in the Netherlands: the University of Groningen, and the University of Amsterdam.
In Groningen, Hungarian language and literature are taught in the Finno–Ugric Department. Amsterdam University offers Hungarian language courses
while its curriculum includes „Hungarian Studies” as well. It also publishes a Dutch-language periodical entitled Window, containing general information
about Hungary.
Currently, some 8,000 to 10,000 Hungarians live in the Netherlands.
Smaller Hungarian communities than the ones listed above but whose activities deserve mention live in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and the Baltic states of
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as in the Czech Republic and in Poland. Chart No.1 on page 13–14 provides an overview of the Hungarian
organizations functioning in these countries.
With a few exceptions, Hungarians arrived in Denmark and Norway from Hungary after 1956 and from the successor states of the Carpathian Basin from
the 1980s on.
The members of the Hungarian groups in the Baltic republics were specialized experts who moved there during the Soviet era for „reasons of national
economy”, most of them from Transcarpathia. They eventually completed their university education and gained employment there or got married and
settled down in the Baltic states. Close to 300 persons declaring themselves to be Hungarian live in Latvia. 78 of them became citizens, 10 are citizens of
other states, and 205 have the status of “permanent resident of the Republic of Latvia and thus require a visa to travel to Hungary. (For lack of a
Hungarian foreign representation in Riga, they must obtain the visa in Tallinn, Estonia. In Lithuania, everyone who has lived there for five years has been
granted citizenship). The Hungarian organization in Latvia was registered as a society in June 1997. It has 30 to 35 members all of whom reside in Riga
and have only occasional contacts with those Hungarians living in the countryside.
Most of the Hungarians living in the Czech Republic settled down in the former Czechoslovakia after gaining employment in the more industrialized areas
of the Czech and Moravian lands, and remained there for existential reasons after the split of the country. Their high-standard periodical Prágai Tükör
(Prague Mirror) is published five times a year.
On the basis of traditional historical sympathy, Poland has always attracted Hungarians living in mixed marriages, with dissenting views, or drawn to the
particular Polish spirit. The colony counts some 500 persons and its members settled down in Poland in the last 55 years. The majority of the Hungarians
live in mixed marriages and the children’s knowledge of the Hungarian language depends on the intent of their parents. The Adorján Divéky Hungarian
Weekend School in Warsaw sine 1999. The Association of Hungarians in Poland was established in 1994 and the Association of Hungarians in Southern
Poland at the turn of 1999/2000. The former, with seat in Warsaw, has 120 to 170 members, and holds its events in the Hungarian Institute for lack of its
own meeting place. The Hungarian colony living in Poland is not a registered minority and thus the association cannot receive financial aid from the Polish
governmental bodies.
Apart from a small number of refugees in the 1980s, Finland was never a true target country from Hungarian emigrants. The musical artists who settled
down there in the 1960s and 1970s were followed in increasing numbers from the 1990s on by young job-seekers, researchers and their family members,
including Hungarian minority members from the Carpathian Basin. The Hungarian community numbers some 600 persons, part of whom have Finnish
citizenship, and most of whom live in southern Finland, in and around Helsinki. The musical artists, artists, doctors and medical researchers have gained
significant recognition from Finnish public opinion.
The Association of Hungarians in Finland (FME), established on 13 March 1993 and officially registered in 1997, is the open organization of the
Hungarians who settled down in the country or reside there for shorter or longer periods of time. It covers its expenses through membership fees,
supporting bodies, and by submitting applications. The association sees as its task the cultivation of the Hungarian language, culture, and traditions, the
strengthening of community relations, the support of the newcomers, and the commemoration of national holidays and other important anniversaries. It
keeps in contact with the Hungarian governmental bodies, the Hungarian foreign representation, Finland’s social organizations, and the Hungarian
associations active in other countries. Close ties in the areas of culture and native language education have been established with the Hungarian
organizations in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. The association also supports the Hungarian Congregation in Finland, the Hungarian Catholic
community, and Hungarian-language nursery and school education. The Bobita-Klub, founded in 1998 and meeting every second week, groups the parents
of nursery-school children and deserves special mention.
Regular afternoon and evening instruction for several groups of students is provided for the Hungarian children in Finland in Helsinki and Vantaa. Teaching
of the Hungarian language as a freely chosen foreign tongue takes place for a number of years in several Finnish high schools. Finland’s education law
makes it possible for Hungarian children to take part on a regular weekly basis, in the framework of elementary school instruction, in classes acquainting
them with their native language and national culture. The organization of the student groups depends on the activism of the parents. The school authorities
generally require a professionally trained teacher before granting permission for instruction.
The community publishes a circular and its members carry out active electronic correspondence. In addition to the FME, the Hungarians in Helsinki,
Tampere, and Salo also have websites. The community maintains well-functioning partner contacts with the Hungarian Cultural and Scientific Center, the
Hungarian foreign representation, the Finnish–Hungarian Society (Suomi–Unkar Seura), the Finnish Lutheran Church, the Finnish World Federation
(Suomi Seura), and with universities.
The Hungarian Congregation in Finland (an independent organization not part of the FME) held on five occasions in 2002 Protestant religious services in
the Hungarian language. Two Catholic religious services were also conducted in Helsinki and Tampere. A Bible Circle is active in Otaniemi.

Survey of the Hungarian organizations functioning in Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Baltic States,
the Czech Republic, and Poland

Federation of Hungarians in the Czech Lands and Moravia
President: Istvan Vég
CS–10100 Praha 10, K. Botiči 2
E-mail: csmmsz@mbox.vol.cz
National Federation of Hungarians in Demmark
President: Krisztina Haulik
DK–4250 Fuglebjerg, Palmeraengevej 13
E-mail: duna.haulik@gtznet.dk
„Mihály Munkácsy” Cultural Association of Hungarians in Estoni
President: Dr. István Bán
EE–2400 Tartu, Pohla 13–1
E-mail: bereg@freemail.hu
Association of Hungarians in Finland
President: Béla Tanító
FIN–33210 Tampere, Satakunnankatu 19–21 A 7
Tel.: 00–358–40–570–2663, fax: 00358–3–212–5483
E-mail: beta99@koti.soon.fi
Federation of Hungarians in Finland
President: Ákos Engelmayer
05–807 Podkowz Leine, ulico Zeromskiego 14
Tel.: 00–48–22–759–9066
„Balaton” Society of Hungarians in Latvia
President: Sándor Molnár
LV–1082 Riga, Zemes iela 6–8
Tel.: 00–371–7172–605, 7547–757, fax: 00–371–737–2080
„István Báthory” Cultural Federation of Hungarians in Lithuania
President: Maria Rubazeviciene–Homoki
LT–2051 Vilnius, Rinktines 51–32
E-mail: LVD@takas.lt
Friendly Circle of Hungarians in Norway
President: Éva Dobos
NO–0303 Oslo, Pstboks 5291, Majosrstua
E-mail: eva.dobos@czi.net


2. NORTH AMERICA
The United States and Canada have been for nearly one hundred years the traditional countries of destination for political and economic emigration from
Hungary. At present, nearly 2,000,000 persons who identify themselves as being of Hungarian descent or claim Hungarian to be their mother tongue live in
those two countries.
In the United States, according to the data of the 2000 census, 1,398,724 persons identified themselves as being of Hungarian descent (the figure was
1,776,902 according to the 1990 census and 1,582,303 according to the 1980 census). In 1990, 147,905 individuals (9.35%) claimed to speak Hungarian
at home, compared to 180,000 or 10.12% in 1980. (We do not have any more recent data in this regard). Based on various estimates, the number of those
who, regardless of language proficiency, have preserved their Hungarian identity is estimated at 730,000. The remaining individuals, most of them non-
first generation American citizens, still consider their ethnic background important but are not or only occasionally active members of the Hungarian
community.
Historically, the development of the Hungarian community in the United States goes back to some 150 years. Apart from a few individual cases, the first
large scale Hungarian political emigration took place following the defeat of the 1848–49 Hungarian War of Independence. From the 1870s on, economic
migration reached ever growing proportions. From 1871 to 1900, 433,511 and between 1900 and 1914, 1,595,502 persons, or a total of 2,029,013
emigrated from the historic territory of Hungary to the „land of limitless opportunities”, the United States. The number of emigrants first exceeded the
100,000 mark in 1903 (with 119,944), and until 1914, it fell below 100,000 only twice, in 1908 and 1911. The emigrant wave reached its peak in 1907
when those leaving Hungary reached 209,169, a number comparable to the population of a large East-Central European city.
The discrepancies between Hungarian and US immigration data are probably due to the designation of the country of origin for immigrants between 1861
and 1910 as „Austria–Hungary”. On the other hand, a person who did not claim to be of Hungarian nationality may have been registered as an immigrant
from the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy but belonging to another nationality.
A significant number of emigrants had come from economically undeveloped, overpopulated peripheral regions inhabited mostly by various ethnic groups.
Their decision to leave was motivated by the United States’ economic prosperity and the organized export of labor. This biggest wave of emigrants was
not directly led by political motives but was indirectly critical of Hungary’s industrial policy which placed primary emphasis on the development of the
central regions. It may well be that in the period of the big emigration industrial development had already started in the southeastern peripheral regions (for
example in Transylvania’s Zsil/Jul valley) but this did not alleviate the living conditions of these regions’ population driven out of the agricultural sector.
Many of those who left Hungary did not want to emigrate forever and wished to return to their native land after acquiring some wealth abroad. Many of
them did return but World War I interrupted this process.
After the First World War, mass immigration to the United States ceased due to legal restrictions and the economic crisis. Most of those who emigrated
for political and ideological reasons came from the ranks of the bourgeois intelligentsia. Many of them became prominent figures in American academic,
scientific and artistic life, for example György Czukor, Leó Szilárd, János Neumann, Ede Teller, and the Korda brothers. According to US sources, those
who emigrated for economic and political reasons between 1921 and 1940 numbered 38,541.
Until the Second World War, the American Hungarian Federation (AMSZ) established in 1906, the Rákóczi and the Verhovay „fraternal” insurance
companies, and the American Hungarian Reformed Association were among the most important organizations. A new organizational structure came into
being after the war, with the establishment in 1945–1947 of such émigré organizations as the Fraternal Community of Hungarian Fighters (MHBK), the
Hungarian Committee, the Hungarian Society, and the organizations set up after the 1956 Revolution. With the passage of time and because of internal
conflicts, the AMSZ lost its significance and the Rákóczi and Verhovay societies merged to form the William Penn insurance company.
The most important role in preserving Hungarian culture, traditions, and national communities was played by the Hungarian Scout Association Abroad and
by the Hungarian weekend and summer schools maintained by the Churches. The local Hungarian clubs and Hungarian churches played a similar role in
social life. Among those organizations that played the most important role in cultural activities at the national level, one must mention the American
Hungarian Foundation, active in New Jersey and founder of a museum, the Hungarian American Educators Association, and the American Hungarian
Association for the Study of Hungarian History.
Between the end of World War II and October 1956, additional groups of Hungarians emigrated to the United States. Most of them left Hungary in 1945
and following the communist takeover in 1947–48. On 15 November 1947, political emigrés who had formerly belonged to the civic, peasant and social
democratic parties in Hungary, along with a few former diplomats, founded the Hungarian National Committee.
From November 1956 until June 1958, as a result of the events of the Revolution in Hungary, the United States took in 38,045 Hungarian refugees who
received a far better treatment than the emigrants who came after World War II. In the Hungarian National Committee, former prime minister Ferenc
Nagy proposed the adoption of the demands of the 1956 Revolution and the admission of its organizations. After lengthy negotiations, a new top
organization, the Hungarian Committee, was established. Parallel to it, several Hungarian 1956 organizations were independently active for years,
undergoing numerous changes in their structure and name.
The change in the attitude of the emigrants toward the mother country became noticeable in the 1970s. The number of American Hungarians „revisiting”
their homeland grew from year to year, even though a certain members of emigrés were against these visits which, in their view, „provided support to the
communist regime”. A change in the attitude toward the Hungarian state, however, could be felt only from 1989 on. The earlier opposition was replaced
by cautious dialogue and a search for contacts, mainly through the mediation of the World Federation of Hungarians and the Conference on the
(Hungarian) Mother Tongue. The last big dispute among emigrés during the Kádár era in Hungary occurred in 1977–1978 in connection with the return by
the US of the Hungarian royal crown to Hungary. While part of the Hungarian emigrant community opposed the return of the national relic, the majority
did not raise any objection. On 6 January 1978, several well-known Hungarian émigré figures were among the members of the American delegation during
the official handing over ceremony in Budapest.
Following the 1989 change of political regime in Hungary, the use of the term „emigré” and the legal implications associated with it were dropped.
However, the exaggerated expectations on the part of both the emigrant community and the new Hungarian government about the development of their
relationship led to new disputes. The issues involved included participation in Hungarian public life, the right to vote in Hungarian elections, the issue of the
state treaties with the countries neighboring Hungary, citizenship and compensation matters, etc. In spite of all these, intensive contacts between the
American–Hungarian community and Hungary began, then slowed down somewhat between 1994 and 1998. The results of 1998 elections were met with
sympathy, understanding, and trust by the Hungarians in America. The important American–Hungarian organizations have assured the new government of
their support and readiness to cooperate with it.
Following the change of political regime, a network of honorary consuls was established. Several American Hungarian personalities have received such an
assignment and successfully complement the work of the professional diplomatic corps.
More than 300 organizations, church congregations, and institutions founded by Hungarians operate in the United States. Several larger organizations
perform invaluable work in preserving Hungarian self-identity and culture, in carrying out popularization and information activities, or in providing support
for the Hungarian minorities in the Carpathian Basin. Among the most important organizations are the American Hungarian Federation founded in 1906, the
William Penn Association, the Hungarian Boy Scout Federation Abroad, the Hungarian Circle of Friends – Itt–Ott (Here–There), the Association of
Hungarian Alumni – Bessenyei Circle, the League of Catholic Priests, or the American Hungarian Reformed Association. The National Federation of
American Hungarians (MAOSZ) deserves mention because of its charitable activities. MAOSZ is a top organization grouping 14 organizations, among
them the Árpád Academy, active for five decades and the Hungarian Association. The latter organizes in November of every year the Hungarian Days of
Cleveland. The Association for Retired Hungarian Americans, with a growing membership, also belongs to MAOSZ. MAOSZ supports a school for
mentally handicapped children in Hungary, the Leukemia Research Institute of the University of Debrecen, and the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. It
maintains ties with the other American Hungarian top organizations but as a tax-exempted organization cannot support any political party.
Scientific and academic work is carried out by the American Association for the Study of Hungarian History. The Hungarian Human Rights Foundation
and the American Hungarian Coalition are performing since its establishment important work in informing and influencing influential American political
figures about Hungarian issues (the situation of minorities in the Carpathian Basin, village destruction in Romania, issue of church assets, Hungary’s
admission into NATO, and so on).
Traditionally, the churches have always been determining elements in the survival of the Western Hungarian diaspora and, similarly, of the Hungarian
communities (weekend schools, scouting, cultural life, etc.) in the United States. At the time of mass emigrations, the churches in Hungary along with the
government voluntarily shouldered this mission and took a stand for the survival of the communities and the preservation of their Hungarian identity. To
this end, congregations were continuously provided with clergymen until 1945. Following the discontinuation of the institutionalized dispatch of clergymen
to re-supply the emigrant communities, the shortage of clergymen has become critical in every church and congregation within the Hungarian diaspora in
the United States.
American–Hungarian organizations and institutions are self-supporting. They do not receive any government or municipal support and must make use of
their own resources to help the Hungarian minorities in the Carpathian Basin. This self-reliance is increasingly running into obstacles because of the
generation shift within the most active social strata and the difficulty of maintaining the organizational life of the communities. For this reason, the
Hungarian diaspora in the West can no longer do without the assistance of the mother country in the preservation of the native language and of the
Hungarian national identity.
Until the end of World War II, Canada was not considered a country of destination for Hungarian emigrants although the first Hungarian immigrants came
here in the first decades of the 20th century (for example in the tobacco country of southern Ontario). Mass emigration began in 1948 and then again in
1956. Emigrants also arrived in considerable numbers from the so-called successor states, that is the countries bordering Hungary, as a result of the post-
1989 political changes. While it is estimated that some 140,000 Hungarians live in Canada, official statistical data put their number at 80,000. One possible
cause for the discrepancy is the statistical registration of the ethnic Hungarians coming from the successor states according to their citizenship rather than
their ethnicity.
Like in other countries, the Canadian–Hungarian community is composed of layers with various political views corresponding to the time of their arrival
and motives for emigration. The occasional debates and rivalries among Hungarian organizations may also be attributed to this factor.
In addition, a significant segment of the diaspora has withdrawn from every Hungarian initiative and organizational activity. Since the 1989 change of
political regime in Hungary, however, one can observe a growing interest among second and third generation emigrants – sometimes regardless of their
knowledge of the native-language – in searching for and nurturing their Hungarian identity.
The distribution of Hungarians between the ten provinces and the two northern territories of Canada is not uniform. According to estimates, Ontario has
the largest Hungarian population (approximately 80,000), followed by British-Columbia (approximately 40,000), and Alberta (approximately 23,000).
Hungarian immigrants in these provinces have established organized communities and churches. The lack of clergymen, however, is becoming an
increasingly acute problem and this shortage cannot be adequately remedied either from Hungary or from among the ranks of the immigration. As in many
locations, the communities have been founded on the church, and the termination of Hungarian-language pastoral work results in the dissolution of the
community. Furthermore, the departure of the Catholic priests unfortunately also results in the churches and community buildings erected through the
donations of the Hungarian faithful being lost by the Hungarian communities because of the universal character of the church.
Likewise, the shortage of qualified language teachers, the unresolved state of native-language education, and the ending of regular education in the
Hungarian language also pose serious problems. The weekend schools and scout troops which are active in larger settlements are directed mostly by
unqualified teachers and instructors, and can provide at the most for minimal language education.
The strongest and most well organized Hungarian communities can be found in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver. There are
Hungarian Houses successfully operating in each of these cities. The Hungarian House in Toronto also deserves to be mentioned, but as a result of the
natural thinning of the Toronto community, it can fulfill its original mission only at the cost of ever increasing financial efforts. This institution houses the
rich Hungarian library containing 30,000 volumes.
Currently, three Hungarian-language weeklies are published in Canada: Hungarian Life, The Hungarians of Canada and America, and Menora – Equality,
the newspaper of the Hungarian Jewry living in North America. All three newspapers are edited and published in Toronto. Tárogató in Vancouver is
another high standard, periodical-type publication worth mentioning. Various publications and bulletins intended to inform the local community are
circulated in practically all cities with a larger Hungarian population. Toronto, Montreal and other localities also offer Hungarian-language television and
radio programs to the local communities. The Hungarian television broadcast organized by Vilmos Kosaras keeps alive the renown Hungarian Theatre
founded by Sándor Kertész. One or two successful performances are held every year with local and guest artists from Hungary.
Among the Hungarian organizations in Canada, the Hungarian Committee of Montreal (with 22 member organizations) and the Hungarian Cultural Council
of Canada founded on 10 January 2001 function as top organizations. The latter was established by the Hungarian Association of Canada and the Canadian
National Council of the World Federation of Hungarians through the inclusion of the member organizations. Other important organizations are the Rákóczi
Society with seat in Toronto, and the organizations in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.
The Canadian National Council of the World Federation of Hungarians was established in 1995 for the purpose of coordinating the activities of the
Hungarian organizations, associations, and clubs, as well as of private persons who as individuals independently from any organization, want to work for
the survival and the preservation of the identity of the Hungarian community in Canada.
Through the joint effort of the Canadian Hungarian Cultural Council and the American Hungarian Federation, the Federation of Hungarian Organizations in
North America (ÉMSZSZ) was established on 4 November 2001. The regional top organization formulated its aims as follows:
·         Bringing together the Hungarians in North America and representation of their interests. Promotion within the constitutional framework of the
United States of America and of Canada of all the efforts that, while keeping in mind the interests of the host countries, serve the preservation of basic
human rights and of western culture. The organization will „fight with all its strength against trends which threaten human freedom and democratic civil
rights”;
·         In the spirit of the ideas and constitutions of the USA and Canada, it will „take a stand in defense of the Hungarians in North America and the
human rights of the Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin”;
·         „ÉMSZSZ will uphold the esteem for the Hungarian origin and name”, and its objective is to acquaint broad segments of the societies of the host
countries with Hungarian history and culture, and to counterbalance through enlightening work all activities „which hurt the Hungarian name, honor, and
the interests of the Hungarians in North America”.
The American National Council of the World Federation of Hungarians and the Canadian National Council of the World Federation of Hungarians, in their
resolutions of 21 March 2002 and 23 March 2003, respectively, broke off relations with the presidium of the World Federation of Hungarians, and
declared at the same time that „they will be ready to cooperate with a new, radically transformed and democratic World Federation of Hungarians
leadership”.


3. SOUTH AMERICA
Although ethnic Hungarians live in all the countries of South America, active community life and organizations exist only in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela,
and Uruguay. Even though official census data are not available, according to greatly varying local estimates, 10,000 to 50,000 Hungarians live in
Argentina, 50,000 to 100,000 in Brazil, 4,000 to 5,000 in Venezuela, and the same number in Uruguay. In the case of Argentina and Brazil, the discrepancy
between estimates may originate from the fact that the Hungarian diasporas in those two countries can look back to one-and-half century of history, and
the fact that the ethnic identity of the non-first generation population of Hungarian origin is already vague in many cases. In terms of organization and
social cohesion, the strongest Hungarian communities are those in Argentina and Brazil.
The Hungarian communities in Argentina represent an important intellectual and social factor in the life of the country. The historical friendship in
Argentina towards the Hungarian people and Hungary which originated with the arrival and subsequent activities of several prominent figures of the 1849
emigration has been preserved to this day. Colonel János Czetz earned everlasting merits by modernizing the Argentinean army. The eminent Hungarian
soldier rose to the status of a national hero in the eyes of the Argentinean people. The St. Márton Knighthood, named after the highly respected St. Martin
of Tours (of Pannonian birth), has done much to maintain and develop friendly relations between the two countries and is held in high esteem in Argentina’
s public life. Several of its members are of Hungarian descent.
The most significant Hungarian organization is the Federation of Hungarians in Argentina, with its seat in Buenos Aires. Noteworthy activities are also
carried out by Hungaria, an organization active primarily in the field of culture.
According to the data received from the local Hungarian communities, the number of „grandparents and parents who immigrated from Hungary” to Brazil
is between 3,000 and 5,000. Their descendants already born in the country and who still record their Hungarian origin may number some 5,000 to 10,000.
The data provider mentions as „a point of interest” the estimate of several researchers that 150,00 persons immigrated from the 1890s until 1957 while,
according to the publication of the Geographic Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the source of the World Federation of Hungarians, this
number is between 70,000 and 90,000. It notes in this regard that it does not know the date of the preparation of the data and have no way to prove their
authenticity. The majority of the Hungarians in Brazil reside in Sao Paulo and the surrounding areas. 500 to 1,000 persons visit Hungarian events, and 100
to 200 participate in Hungarian festive programs.
Relations between the Hungarian community and the host Brazilian people, society, and state, like those of the other emigré and immigrant ethnic groups,
are above reproach. It has no party or political representation of its own. On the other hand, Hungarians in Brazil have two institutions with legal
personality, the Brazilian Hungarian Aid Association (Associacao Beneficente 30 de Setembro) established 76 years ago, which maintains a home for the
aged (with 25 residents at present, and the Brazilian–Hungarian Cultural Association (Sociedade Cultural Brasileir–Húngara). The organizations own the
Hungarian House (Casa Húngara) with an auditorium for 100 persons, a 1,000-volume library, a conference room, youth community room, an office, a
parlor, kitchen and dining room. In addition to the two above-named organizations, the other Hungarian associations – the Kálmán Könyves Free
University, the Circle of Friends of Boy-Scouts, the Literary Circle, the Bible Circle, the Hungarian Women’s Association of Sao Paulo, the Tennis Club,
folk dance groups, and so on – hold their meetings in the Hungarian House. The boy-scout troops active in the framework of the South American District
of the Hungarian Boy-Scout Federation Abroad maintain two boy-scout parks in addition to the troops’ town premises.
Traditionally, the boy-scout troops take care of the instruction of the Hungarian language. Thanks to a competition won from the Apáczai Public
Foundation a teacher sent from Hungary was active in Sao Paulo in 2001, instructing 80 students to everyone’s satisfaction. In addition, the Lutheran
Church maintains a Hungarian-language nursery school. At the beginning of 2003, the ninth candidate applied for a scholarship from the Hungarian
Ministry of Education and the Hungarian Boy-Scout Federation Abroad. Interest for applications recently declines because the three candidates who joined
the Bálint Balassa Institute in Budapest during the summer period were left without scholarship and lodgings and had to return home. The event was met
with dismay by the Hungarians in Brazil.
In Brazil, church activities in the Hungarian language are ensured only at a satisfactory level. Since the beginning of the 1930s Catholic Church services
are provided by Benedictine monks sent from Hungary for pastoral work here. During their activities of close to seven decades, besides their monastery
and church, they founded and built one of Sao Paulo’s most high-standard private schools (from nursery school to high school diploma), with a residency
hall, library, cultural and sports facilities. (During his visit to Brazil, Pope John Paul II stayed in the institute’s St. Imre College). Only four of the original
„founding fathers”, over 75 year old and able to work, are alive today. As their replacement by the Provincial order in Hungary cannot be ensured, this
„Hungarian patrimony of emigrants” will come under the administration of the Brazilian Catholic Church and the municipal authority responsible for
education. The Transylvanian-style temple of the Hungarian Reformed Church was built in 1932, it has no ministers for years and services are celebrated
by elders. The Lutheran Church functions in a villa (temple and parsonage) rented by the Lutheran World Federation with European guest ministers sent
for a given period of time.
The Hungarian organizations maintain extensive relations with the Municipal Magistracy of Sao Paolo, which provides one „site” each to every „ethnic
group with foreign roots”. Thus the Hungarian community also has its independent website which will be expanded after February 2003. In addition, the
town leadership named a square in the Villa Marina city district the „Square of the Hungarian People” to honor the 1956 Revolution. In 1996, a monument
was erected on this square to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the arrival of Hungarian tribes into the Carpathian basin. The assembly of Sao
Paulo has established a permanent exhibition hall where every immigrant ethnic group can display an art object. The Hungarians have displayed a painting
with a Hungarian motif by a local contemporary artist.
There are few Hungarian language press publications in Brazil today. The bilingual Híradó (News – about 20 pages) is published every three months and
has an independent page in Dél-Amerikai Hírlap (Hungarian Newsletter) published in Buenos-Aires. Recently, the bilingual Havi Értesítő (Monthly Bulletin)
is mailed electronically every two months to the members of the community.
The Hungarians in Uruguay arrived in the country in three waves: for economic reasons at the time of the Great Depression of 1929–1933, for political
reasons and fleeing racial discrimination in 1938–1939, and after the crushing of the 1956 Revolution. Most Hungarians who settled in Uruguay were
craftsmen, commercial employees and agricultural laborers. The number of graduates of middle or higher education institutes was small, a fact which also
characterizes the composition of the present-day Hungarian organizations in Uruguay. The Hungarians of Uruguay closely follow news and developments
in the home country, and some of them are contemplating returning home or are inquiring about the possibility of establishing commercial relations with
Hungary.
There are four Hungarian organizations active in Uruguay: the Hungarian Cultural Center of Uruguay, the Hungarian Home of Uruguay, the Hungarian
Catholic Congregation of Uruguay, and the Association of Hungarian Israelites in Uruguay. The Hungarian weekend school is maintained jointly by these
four organizations. Each of them has its own headquarters in Montevideo, and broadcasts its own half-hour radio program on Sundays.
The Hungarians living in Venezuela number 4,000 to 5,000. In addition to Caracas, a larger size organized Hungarian community can be found in Valencia.
The remaining Hungarians are scattered in other localities and are linked together only by clergymen’s visits and the Hungarian press. Venezuela’s
Hungarian emigrants came in two major waves – the first between 1947 and 1950 and the second after 1950 – and the vast majority of them are political
refugees. Hungarian organizational life began with the establishment of the Hungarian Reformed Community in 1950. A year later, the organization of
Catholic pastoral work and of scout troops started.
Both Christian churches founded their own women’s association; the Reformed one bears the name of Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, and the Catholic one was
named after St. Elisabeth. The Caribbean News, which started as a weekly paper in 1955, is published monthly since 1994. The Coordinating Committee
of Hungarian Organizations in Venezuela was established in 1990 to group together all Hungarian organizations in the country. The Hungarian House of
Caracas provides home to some 15 organizations (Hungarian-language kindergarten, dance groups, scout troops, etc.)


4. OTHER REGIONS OUTSIDE EUROPE
Currently, approximately 40,000–50,000 Hungarians – close to 55,000 according to another source – live in Australia and New Zealand. The bulk of these
emigrants left Hungary from 1945 to 1947 and after the 1956 Revolution. Later, they were joined by groups of Hungarian emigrants from the countries
neighboring Hungary. The composition of the post-World War II emigrants – even though it reflected the entire cross-section of Hungarian society – was
characterized by a high proportion of intellectuals and holders of various degrees. Hungarian newcomers settled in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane,
Perth and Canberra, where they created unique Hungarian communities and developed an important system of institutions to foster and preserve their
identity. The majority of the Hungarians arrived as refugees and became political immigrants in the host country. They stratified in accordance with the
time of their arrival in 1945, 1947, and 1956, respectively.
All Hungarian organizations in the states of the Australian Federation belong under the umbrella of the Federation of Hungarians in Australia and New
Zealand. Every three years, the organization is re-elected at the headquarters of the Hungarian association next in line to organize the Hungarian Meeting of
Australia, also held every three years. The executive officers of the Meeting are provided by the organization of the city next in line for the hosting, but
they are only executors of that body, made up of two representatives from each organization. The top organization has at the national level a weight and
reputation similar to that of the state federations at the member state level. The top organization takes care of the organization of national events and of
maintaining contacts with similar organizations on other continents.
The 12th Hungarian Cultural Meeting held in Adelaide from 30 December 2002 to 8 January 2003 was overshadowed by the absence of part of the
organizations, which can be attributed to the debates going on for years within the World Federation of Hungarians.
The estimated number of Hungarians living in other countries and territories of the world is as follows: 200,000 in Israel, 5,000 in New Zealand, 10,000 in
Africa, and 30,000 in the countries of Asia.
The number of ethnic Hungarians, Hungarian-speaking persons, and persons of Hungarian origin living scattered outside of the Carpathian Basin can, on
the basis of often exaggerated and contradictory estimates, be considered to reach some 2 to 2.5 million.