Wendish question

The Wendish question Hungarian political theory to about of the Hungarian Slovenes. The traditional Hungarian name for the Slovenians used to be Wends; as a result, many Slovenes in Hungary accepted this name as a common denomonation, although in their dialect, they always referred to themselves as "Slovenes". In the last decades of the 19th century, and especially during the Horthy regime, the denomination "Wends" was used in order to emphasize the difference between the Hungarian Slovenes and other Slovenes, including attempts in creating a separate identity.

The borders between the kingdoms Hungary and Serbia-Croatia-Slovenia were finally regulated by the so-called peace treaty of Trianon, in Trianon castle not far from Paris on June 4, 1920. The water shed of the two rivers Raba and Mura was considered as the borderline within Vas County. The localities in the surroundings of Szentgotthárd remained further on Hungarian rule. Through fusions the nine communes of the Raba Region (Porabje) (Alsószölnök, Apátistvánfalva, Felsőszölnök, Orfalu, Permise, Rábatótfalu, Ritkaháza, Szakonyfalu and Újbalázsfalva) became six municipalities. Újbalázsfalva was associated to Apátistvánfalva, Rábatótfalu to Szentgotthárd, and Permise and Ritkaháza were united as Kétvölgy. This so-called “vendvidék” was consequently disunited: in the Prekmurje (the Great-Vendvidék), which is a part of Slovenia and in the Raba Region (Small-Vendvidék) belonging to Hungary. This separation introduced a new historical epoch for the Slovenes living in the Hungarian Raba Region. From this moment forth the Mura Region and the Raba Region developed separately and differently in terms of economy, politics, culture and ethnicity. At the border triangle near Felsőszölnök a pyramidal column bearing the emblems of Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia and the date of the ratification of the peace treaty of Trianon was erected. Between the two world wars, at the end of May, the Slovene-speaking students held an annual memorial celebration commemorating the dead heroes of the World War I at this very stone column. After the drawing of the “Iron Curtain” after the Second World War this stone column was no longer accessible. Since June 4, 1989 the border is open again and from this date forth deputies of the three ethnic groups hold annual meetings at this stone column, which symbolises the history of this region.

During the invasion of the German troops in Yugoslavia on April 6 1941 also Hungary, as an ally of Nazi Germany. In return for this help, Hungary retrieved the Serbian Bácska, the Croatian Baranya and Međimurje and the Slovene Prekmurje. These regions were affiliated to Yugoslavia after the peace treaty of Trianon in 1920. One wanted to prove to the inhabitants of the Prekmurje that they were not Slovenes but descended from the Celts. Sándor Mikola (1871-1945), a maths and physics teacher coming from the Slovene Mura Region claimed during the times of the peace of Trianon that the term “vend” did not mean “Slovene”. With his opus “A Vendség múltja és jelene/The past and present of the Wends” he propagated this perception. By means of the theory of Sándor Mikola Hungarian policy tried to regain the Slovene Prekmurje at that time. However, also after the World War II the Prekmurje remained a part of Yugoslavia (Slovenia) and the Raba Region a part of Hungary.

References

* Mária Mukics: "Changing World - The Hungarian Slovenes" ("Változó Világ" - "A magyarországi szlovének") Press Publica
* Francek Mukič - Marija Kozar: Slovensko Porabje, Mohorjeva družba, Celje 1982.
* Kozar, Marija: "Mojster ljudske umetnosti – Karel Dončec" Slovenski koledar, Szombathely 1986.
* Mária Kozár: Etnološki slovar Slovencev na Madžarskem, Monošter-Szombathely, 1996. ISBN 963 7206 620
* Francek Mukič - Marija Kozar: Spoznavanje slovenstva, Croatica, Budapest 2002. ISBN 963 9314 31 1
* Mária Kozár: The Hungarian Slovenes, Press Publica, Changing world, ISBN 963 9001 83