Hungary marks 100th anniversary of the Trianon WWI peace agreement

Chain Bridge is illuminated in the colours of the Hungarian national flag

Last updated: June 05, 2020 | 18:33

AFP and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Digital Content Editor

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Budapest: Hungary marked Thursday the centenary of a post-World War I peace treaty that saw the surrender of two-thirds of its territory to neighbouring states and is still resented by many Hungarians.

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The Treaty of Trianon, signed in Versailles, France, in 1920, defined the country's new frontiers after the dissolution of the defeated Austro-Hungarian empire.

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Hungary was not only forced to sign away vast swathes of territory, but also half its multi-ethnic population.

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Church bells rang out around Hungary for 100 seconds at 4:30 pm, the exact time the treaty was signed.

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In Budapest public transport was halted and many observed a minute's silence, while other commemorations took place nationwide.

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The treaty meant that at a stroke, more than three million ethnic Hungarians - or Magyars - became part of neighbouring states, along with key economic resources and cultural sites.

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Although during World War II Hungary temporarily took back some of the territory with Nazi Germany'S help, the borders have remained unchanged since 1947.

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The lingering effects of the territorial and population losses - sometimes described as "Trianon trauma" - have often strained Hungary's relations with neighbours.

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Magyars abroad are engaged "in a bitter struggle to survive, preserve their mother tongue, culture, to feel at home in their place of birth," said Hungarian parliament speaker Laszlo Kover in a speech to the chamber.

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He went on to strike a more conciliatory note, saying: "We, Hungarians, who lost the 20th century don't want to lose the 21st, but we don't want our neighbours to lose it, either."

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