March 23rd - Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship
Relations between the two states date back to the Middle Ages, when the noble houses of both kingdoms often intermarried with earch other - examples of the links between Polish and Hungarian monarchs could be traced throughout the centuries (for instance: Louis the Great, Jadwiga of Poland, Stephen Báthory, Władysław of Varna). The history of them isn’t all peaceful, but in the end was always coming with a mutual respect towards each other’s interests and forged bonds of common ideals and worldviews. Throughout the history, there are many examples of both nations fighting alongside each other (read about e.g. Polish general Józef Bem in Hungarian Revolution of 1848). After Poland was attacked in 1939 - on the 1st September by the German troops from the West and on 17th September by the Russian forces from the East - Hungary was one of the very few countires who opened their borders for the Polish refugees and around 140,000 Poles found a temporary safe place in Hungary before the end of 1939 alone:
“The squads of the Polish Army, including the 10th Brigade of Motor Cavalry, individual soldiers and Polish civilians were crossing the Polish-Hungarian border in September and October, 1939. The Hungarians used to treat the refugees in a warm-hearted way. In towns and villages they were offered food: bread, goulash, grapes and wine. Sometimes they were greeted with due ceremony. The Hungarian press also used to write about the Poles with sympathy. This attitude towards the Poles raised their spirits after the September defeat” [more here]
These are only a few examples of the specific Polish-Hungarian relations. This kind of relationship was said to be a phenomenon, unparalel to any other two nations throughout history, described by Stanislaw Worcell in 19th century this way:
“Hungary and Poland are two eternal oaks. Each of them shot up a separate and distinct trunk, but their roots widely scattered in the ground are intertwined and knitted invisibly. Hence the existence and vigor of one is the condition of the other’s life and health.” [x]
There’s a popular bilingual proverb concerning the historic friendship between the Poles and Hungarians, that arose around 18th century:
Pole and Hungarian cousins be, good for fight and good for party. Both are valiant, both are lively, Upon them may God’s blessings be.
In Polish:
Polak, Węgier - dwa bratanki, i do szabli, i do szklanki, oba zuchy, oba żwawi, niech im Pan Bóg błogosławi.
… and the Hungarian version:
Lengyel, magyar – két jó barát, Együtt harcol s issza borát, Vitéz s bátor mindkettője, Áldás szálljon mindkettőre.
On 12 March 2007, the Hungarian parliament declared March 23rd the “Hungarian - Polish Friendship Day”, with 324 votes in favor, none opposed, no abstentions. Four days later, the Polish parliament declared the same day the “Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day" by acclamation.
Sources of pictures:
Flags of Hungary (red-white-green) and Poland (white-red), fot. Andrzej Lipecki/GP [source]
Poland (orange) and Hungary (green) on the map of Europe [source]
Joint coats of arms of Poland and Hungary carved on a gate in Stary Sącz, Poland, fot. Maciej Pałahicki [source]
Poles and Hungarians in 17th century drawn by Willem Baur [source]
In 1956 Poland, then a satellite state of the Soviet Union, began undergoing major political changes (so-called Gomułka’s thaw). This information reached Hungary resulting in a manifest of Hungarians’ support for the changes taking place in Poland and in effect, marking the beginning of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 [read more].
Statue of Polish-Hungarian friendship in Jarosław, Poland - the two oaks are a reference to the words of Stanislaw Worcell quoted above [source]
Statue of Hungarian-Polish friendship in Bonyhád, Hungary, with a list of the most important historical figures linking the two nations [source]
Described previously - historical relations between Poland and:
Scotland
France
