Hungarian Heritage Review, 1985 (14. évfolyam, 12. szám)
1985-12-01 / 12. szám
DECEMBER 1985 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 7 Hungarian ®rabßkr MY HISTORICAL TOUR OF HUNGARY — BY — HARRY G. LADANYE EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this series of articles, who is one of our Associate Editors, recently returned from his very first visit to Hungary. He served as the Group Leader of the 3-week, “Historical Tour of Hungary” project that was this Editor’s “brainchild” while he was associated with the Eighth Hungarian Tribe magazine, and which was sponsored by that publication in cooperation with the Fugazy International Travel, IBUSZ, and Pan American World Airways. Having helped to map its itinerary, this is Mr. Ladanye’s report on the tour.) f ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL, VIENNA; the original Romanesque building was destroyed by fire in 1258, rebuilt in the late Romanesque style and consecrated 1263. Of this part of the Cathedral still remains the Western front, the Giant Aget and Western Gallery. The reshaping and new construction during the Gothic period started at the beginning of the 14th century. It is assumed that during this period the foundation stone was laid for the Southern Tower which was completed by Hans Prachatitz in 1433. The height of the Tower is 136. 7m. The framework of the roof of the Cathedral which is a masterpiece of Gothic timbering was built after 1440. The roof was destroyed by fire during the battle of Vienna in 1945. The wooden framework was then replaced by a steel construction and the roof restored as accurately as possible. Photo —Austrian Press and Information Service On July 18, 1985, a Pan Am 747 took off from JFK Airport in New York for Frankfurt, West Germany. On board, was a group of Hungarian-Americans who were participating in the very first Historical Tour of Hungary. My wife Florence and I were members of this tour group and, in this series of articles, I shall reveal my personal impressions of this remarkable travel experience. It was, indeed, a fascinating and exciting trip and I sincerely hope that many more Hungarian-Americans will go on the next one in the summer of 1986 and thrill to the history, romance, and beauty of Hungary. After an eight-hour flight to Frankfurt, we switched to Austrian Air Lines for the short, one-hour flight to Vienna. There, we were met by our friendly and cooperative, IBUSZ Tour Guide, Stephan, and our bus driver, Misi, who delivered us to the new Hungária Hotel for our two-day stay before going on to Hungary. While in this beautiful capital city of the former Austro- Hungarian Empire, we had an opportunity to get rid of our “jet-lag”, to enjoy a guided tour of the city and its environs, to go walking on our own, and to do some shopping. Vienna is a delightful city. Near the famous Opera House, for example, is a “walk street” (no cars allowed) much like our own malls, with numerous sidewalk cafes, shops, hotels, and squares providing an ambience of Old World charm picture-framed by colorful flowers everywhere. The historic Sacher Hotel, once frequented by the aristocracy of Hungary and by the Emperor Franz Joseph and world famous for its “Sacher Torte”, was a tasty treat we did not miss. We washed this delicious pastry down with generous servings of “kafe mit schlag”. Within walking distance of the Vienna Opera House and the Sacher Hotel is St. Stephen’s Catherdral where, during the 15th Century, St. John of Capistrano appealed to the Austrian people to go to the aid of John Hunyadi, who was trying almost singlehandedly to hurl back the invasion of Hungary and East Central Europe by the Ottoman Turks. All of us were awed by its interior and exterior magnificence, its skeleton-filled catacombs, and “goose-pimpled" by its relationship to the history of Hungary. Our guided tour of Vienna, of course, covered almost all of the historic sites worth visiting, including a two-hour tour of the fabulous, 1400-room Schonbrun Palace, built by the Empress Maria Theresa and where the son and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Reichstadt (L’Aiglon) spent his entire life until his untimely death at the age of 21. This splendid architectural jewel, which was also the summer residence of Franz Joseph, is a mind-staggering repository of priceless paintings, frescoes, wood(continued next page)
