Agria 33. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 1997)

Horváth László: Lengyel menekültek Gyöngyösön a II. világháború idején

Név foglalkozás legutóbbi lakhely 59. Haj da Josef kőmívesmester mft. 60. Kobiatka Maria háztart. alkalm. mft. 61. Nazar Eugeiusz mechanikus Borek Fasceki Krakow 62. Rot Edmund sofőr Vladislav Sopinicz 63. Jondsik Franz földm. Zapust. László Horváth Polish Refugees in Gyöngyös during the Second World War The existence of the Polish Refugee Camp in Gyöngyös has for the most part been forgotten despite the fact that during one of the greatest crises in Polish history help was given to those who needed it. Hungary's contribution in helping Poland at the moment of the outbreak of the Second World War amounted to an event unique in Hungarian-Polish, as indeed in international, relations. The Hungarian state, at some risk to itself, took in tens of thousands of Poles. This gave additional ammunition to those who believed that there was an anti-German Polish-Hungarian conspiracy going on at the time. However, contemporary leaders behaved as though Hungary's action did not represent any political interests. During the Second World War two thousand Poles spent some time, whether it be for only a short period, in Heves County. The first refugees arrived in Gyöngyös on about 24th September. The town elders counted upon the arrival of about five hundred men, women and children. A significant number of those civilians who arrived travelled on further. Those who stayed were found quarters in the Orczy Palace. When this became overcrowded accommodation was found in private homes and flats in the town. Indeed, some religious foundations took in refugees (the Franciscans, the Mária Valéria Institute). During the early days it was difficult to cover the costs of board and lodging. A third of the refugees were unable to cover their own expenses and thus the town of Gyöngyös had to pay for the upkeep of most of them. By October Gyöngyös had turned into one of the biggest Polish centres in the county. As the Orczy Palace became fuller ever more refugees found themselves amongst the poorer sections of society. In such cases the town council paid the refugees' rent to the families who had taken them in. In many cases it became apparent that the families in Gyöngyös putting up the refugees were in the habit of giving their guests the money given as rent by the council. The camp which started by having sixty refugees in September 1939 grew substantially in size. According to the town council this number rose to 219. During 1940 the average number of Poles requiring support stayed at between 170 and 200. By the beginning of 1940 the Polish Refugee Camp had begun to decline. This was due to a desire by some Poles to return home once their initial feelings of panic had subsided and secondly because substantial Polish centres had begun to develop in western 389