Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1989. január-június (43. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)

1989-03-30 / 13. szám

11. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ Thursday, March 30. 1989. UDAPEST’S OUR TRIP TO CUBA GREAT RADIAL AVENUE Century- old trees, romantic paths for strolling and a boating lake, child­ren's playgrounds, a funfair, a circus, a zoo, transport muse­um and a replica (three-quarter size) of the Transylvanian Vajdahunyad Castle, illustrating architectural styles from the Romanesque to the Baroque and housing an agricultural museum. Then there's the Széchényi Baths and swimming pools, hou­sed in a Baroque Revival bulding, the reputed Gundel Restaurant, and the giant beer tent that serves beer brewed under license from the Royal Bavarian Brewery, along with snacks and suitable music. All these places are in Budapest's finest park, the Városliget (City Park), a million square meters of green wooded open space for relaxation and recreation. Where the Városliget ends, a short brid­ge leads over the boating lake to the most spectacular square in the Hungarian ca­pital — the semicircular Heroes' Square (Hósök tere), a fitting climax to a radial avenue two-and-a-half kilometers long called Népköztársaság útja (Road of the People's Republic), The Millennium Memorial in the middle of the square was started in 1896, the thou­sandth anniversary of the conquest by the Hungarians, and completed in 1929. In line with the avenue is a column 36 meters high surmounted by the Archangel Gabriel with mounted statues of Prince Árpád, the conqueror, and his seven chiefs on the plinth. On each side of the column, are two quarter-circles of colonnade for­ming a triumphal arch. The semicircle they enclose is 85 meters wide and 25 me­ters deep. The statues on the piers are Labor and Welfare, War riding a chariot, Peace, and the pair of Knowledge and Glo­ry. Statues of outstanding figures from Hungarian history are set between the pillars of the colonnade. VIPs from abroad invariably pay their respects at the Me­morial to the Unknown Soldier. On the two sides of Heroes' Square, two columned buildings face each other. Each is dedicated to fine art. The winged Mu­seum of Fine Arts, fronted by Corinthian columns, houses ancient Egyptian exhibits, a Greco-Roman collection, a gallery of foreign old masters, and foreign statues old and modern. Almost half a million visi­tors a year go in. After Madrid and Vienna, this museum has the richest collection of Spanish paintings and drawings. The Neoclassical Műcsarnok, with its emphatic six-columned main front and its tympanum clad in pictorial mosaics, is the largest exhibition hall in the count­ry. The temporary exhibitions there are almost invariably worth seeing. The Parliament Architecturally Népköztársaság útja falls into three parts: from the Memori­al as far as the circular Kodály körönd there are two spacious lines of mansions in gar­dens. From there to the grand boulevard (Nagykörút) the service roads on either side are closely lined with apartment houses. The third, inner section is flanked by clo­sed lines of buildings. Originally called Sugár üt (Radial Road), the avenue built between 1872 and 1885 mainly in the Eclec­tic (historical composite) and Renaissance Revival styles. The result is grandiose but pleasing. Underneath runs a subway, the oldest underground railroad on the European continent. ABOUT "PARADISE LOST" The New York Public Library, at 5 th Avenue and 42 Street, in Room 316 featu­res one of the gems of Hungarian paintings: Mihály Munkácsy's (1844-1900) "Blind Milton dictating 'Paradise Lost' to his daughters", painted in 1877. Robert Lennox Kennedy, nephew of James Lennox acquired this painting after it recieved a group gold medal at the 1878 Paris Exposition and presented it to the Lennox Library. The N.Y.Tribune proclaimed the painting "a delightful and important contribution to the treasures of the library". It was an immediate popular attraction. During the first 2 months "Milton" was exhibited, more than 13.000 visitors viewed it. A smaller version of the scene is in the collec­tion of the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. Jack Bobrow, editor The ashes of Béla Bartók came to a final resting place in his homeland in the summer of 1988. It was not an anniversary; his family decided it appropriate to meet the final request of this great musical and moral genius. In January the editors of this page visited the only socialist nation in the Western Hemisphere. It was for two weeks and we enjoyed every minute. Thanks to government policy it is easier to go from Canada. We flew to Toronto and from there took the Cubanan line to Havana. Cuba is only 90 minutes by air from Flo­rida and the chances are that most people know more about the socialist nations of Europe and Asia than our neighbor. The point is of course that the United States considers Cuba too dangerous to visit. What is there about this country, the size of Connecticut, that is so dan­gerous? 1. ) Could it be their infant mortality-rate which is 5 in 1000, one of the lowest in the world? United States happens to be the 17th. 2. ) Maybe their literacy standard at 98% of the population? Now there is a real hazard. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that the percentage is much lower here. 3. ) We visited a psychiatric institution where the patients are one to one with the medical staff. More danger. An old-age home where they don't sit around and sta­re. Inmates participate in all kinds of the­rapies and crafts. And a ballet that was world-class. Now that is real serious. 4. ) There are no homeless, no unemplo­yed. 5. ) Could it be the free medical care? No, we are not going to tell you it's all roses in Cuba. They have rationing. They are short on the little luxuries, like tooth­paste, toilet paper, cosmetics and their transportation is just plain tired. Many autos are from the 50's, the last time they could trade with the United States. They maintain them with their own spare parts industry. Where there are new cars, they are Japanese. The people are serene, confident and they like Fidel. Cuba today is one of the few Latin-Ame- rican countries not in debt to the Interna­tional Monetary Fund. No one goes hungry. They sure are dangerous. To the Editor I enjoy reading the English page of the Magyar Szó since, unfortunately, I cannot read Hungarian. However I would like to make a suggestion for your consideration to help increase the usefulness of the paper. I would like to see expanded coverage in two areas of interest to me and perhaps to other second generation Hungarian-Ame- ricans. 1. ) I would like to read about activities of Hungarian organizations in large areas such as New York, Cleveland, etc. 2. ) I would like to see articles about the present economic and political debates taking place in Hungary. I appreciate your long-term efforts on behalf of all Americans and for world peace. Sincerely Sy (Zoltán) Rudner

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