The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

was fixed by the Council of Ambassadors – possibly in a cynical move – as
August 29 at 4PM, the day of the fateful 1526 loss by Hungary in the Battle of
Mohács to the Turks. The local citizenry felt that this year’s Day of King Saint
Stephen (Aug. 20) was to be their last Hungarian holiday. The Church of St.
Michael was full to capacity for the memorial mass to Hungary’s first crowned
king (ruled 1000-1038). Afterwards, the multitude headed to the Dominican’s
church on Széchenyi Square, where thousands were already assembled,
attending the farewell Mass of the departing Sopron garrison.
An eye witness, Ernő Träger, border adjustment delegate of the Hungarian
government, wrote four years later: “Széchenyi Square filled up in minutes.
The people in front of the postal central offices stood in two rows along the
road the Hungarian soldiers of the garrison were marching along. The earth
shook under their measured, heavy military tread... the Hungarian soil, for
which they fought so much and which was now to be taken away. And they,
who bled for Austria in the sands of Galicia, on the banks of the Isonzo [River],
among the crags of South Tyrol and Doberdo, unable now to defend their own
land from Austria! It was as if the crowd of thousands understood the thoughts
of the soldiers, as if the pounding steps of the soldiers and the horses of the
hussars awoke the people’s consciousness from a lethargic dream; fists rose as
one and the air shook with wild curses abusing Austria. Gábor Tauffer sprang
up on the pedestal of the Széchenyi statue and whipped up passions by his fiery
speech. The delegates of the Entente Powers watched this marvelous
demonstration with baited breath and, although they did not understand our
language, they were still touched by this patriotic show of loyalty and
devotion.” 265
Chief Government Commissioner Sigray told the Military Mission in
Sopron on August 21 that the appropriate Hungarian authorities have made all
the necessary steps so that the evacuation of the affected territory could take
place on time and without incident. On the following day, after a wait of one
year, Hungarian forces were finally able to march into the southern Hungarian
city of Pécs. 266 They were commanded by Lt.Gen. Károly Soós and were met
with a “blizzard of flowers” and a “deafening cheers.” After the long delay, the
Belgrade government was forced to hand back to Hungary most of Baranya
County, with the valuable coal deposits of the Mecsek basin, and the city of
Baja and its surroundings. 267
The site of the official signing of the handover protocol covering Western
Hungary was designated by the Entente representatives in Sopron as the
Széchenyi family’s in-town palace. The family raised protests loudly and
265 Träger, 1925, op. cit., pp. 79–80.
266 Bánffy, 1993, op. cit., p. 71.
267 The occupying Serb military caused great damage to the local population
(requisition agricultural produce, military levy on the towns and villages, etc.). A
question was raised on August 23, 1921 regarding the losses in Parliament, to which
Foreign Minister Bánffy replied the same day. In: Nemzetgyűlési Napló, vol. XII, 1921,
pp. 623–625; Botlik–Csorba–Dudás, pp. 42-49.
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