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

Chapter 7: The State of Lajta-Banat
October 4 – November 4, 1921
At noon on October 4, in the main square of the Felsőőr district center,
Felsőőr (Oberwart), the center of an area populated by Hungarians since the
Conquest at the end of the 9 th century, Pál Prónay, commander of the
insurrection, proclaimed the independent, sovereign and autonomous state of
Lajta-Banate in front of a large crowd made up of people from the town and
delegates of the neighboring villages. His act was a response to the
memorandum signed in Sopron regarding the handover, as well as Austria’s
rejection of it. Subsequently, Prónay sent his units into the eastern zone ‘B’,
evacuated by the Hungarian government’s military, adding it to his zone of
control in the western zone ‘A’. With it, with the exception of Sopron and its
surrounding area, the entire territory earmarked to be ceded to Austria, between
the Trianon and the historical borders, came under the sovereignty of the freetroops
and the new state. The events of the flag-festooned proclamation in
Felsőőr are revealing. After an outdoor Mass, the white silk flag of the city of
Kecskemét was dedicated. The patron of the flag was Countess Aimee Pálffy,
Prónay’s wife, who handed the standard to the commander of the 1 st Rebel
Army, Árpád Taby, after enthusiastic words. Following the ceremony, the
representatives of the villages and the county entered the Felsőőr County
Courthouse, followed by the commanders of the rebel armies, where they held a
Constitutional Meeting, under the chairmanship of Béla Bárdoss. The minutes
of the meeting were recorded by Dr. Ferenc Lévay. We now quote from the
recorded minutes:
The president, Béla Bárdoss, opened the meeting with the following speech:
“The Hungarian government officially handed over to Austria on October 3,
1921, at six in the afternoon, areas to be evacuated under the terms of Article
27, paragraph 1 of the peace document of Trianon. Austria, however, did not
accept these areas. Thus, the right of self-determination reverted to us, which is
why we must make a decision over our future.”
Next, Bárdoss asked the supreme commander of the defensive forces of
Western Hungary, Baron Prónay, to make his submission.
Prónay: “Honored Constitutional gathering! At this moment, every Western
Hungary settlement in Moson and Sopron and Vas counties deemed for
handing over to Austria is awaiting its fate to turn for the better. The
shortsighted Trianon peace has torn from Hungary these Hungarian, German
and Croat speaking people who have lived together in peace for a thousand
years. Not one village wishes to be annexed to communist Austria. Hence, let
Western Hungary be independent and free!” (General and repeated shouts of
agreement.)
The president of the meeting next asked the lawyer Ferenc Lévay to read the
Declaration of Independence. “We, who have been torn from our ancient
country without our consultation and thrown as prey to the communists of a
defeated Austria, to salvage our honor, our family, our property, our religion,
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