One of the most satisfying aspects of travel is stumbling upon something very different than what was expected. Such surprises have a way of upending expectations, and becoming the memory that lingers longest after a trip has ended. One example that comes to mind for me occurred in Vienna, at the Michaelerplatz, a star-shaped square in front of the Habsburg’s most famous royal palace, the Hofburg. That was where I came upon a site so stunning that the surrounding Baroque architecture might as well have vanished. These were the ruins of civilian houses that stood just beyond the walls of Vindobona, a 1,900-year-old Roman Legionary camp.
The rather modest ruins were such a counterpoint to the surrounding splendor that they caught my attention. Such was their age and association with ancient Rome, that the Hofburg looked like a pretentious, distant cousin that was trying way too hard for attention. The ruins of Vindobona turned out to be one of my most enduring memories of Vienna. Every time I read something referencing the Hofburg, I think of the ruins instead. The thrill of that moment is one I hope to repeat no matter where I go in the lost lands beyond Hungary’s border. While researching the next stop on my itinerary, I came across another understated historical scene stealer close to the town of Parndorf.
Losing more than land – World War I monument with Hungarian names in Parndorf
(Credit: Jacquesverlaeken)
Ground Truths – Tracing The Past
Many years ago, I lived in Wyoming, the most sparsely populated state in America. Because of the dry climate and lack of development there are still unique traces of history that can be seen. I was guided by a friend who had intimate knowledge of the Overland Trails (Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express) that pioneers used to travel west in pursuit of land and gold. The path of iron wheels (known as trail ruts) had been carved into the earth by tens of thousands of wagons making the trek. Some of the trails looked as though the pioneers had just passed that way a few hours earlier. The passage of time and human development had only eroded, but not erased many sections of the trail. Following the trail ruts reminded me that history preserved in situ is often more powerful than when it is preserved in a museum. History does not happen in a vacuum. Place is one of its most powerful contexts.
The remnants of the Overland Trails are the Euro-American equivalent of ancient ruins. I was astonished that in a country as developed as the United States such remnants still existed and only a miniscule amount received so much as a historical marker. In Eastern Europe, the remnants of those who came before are usually sculpted in stone. Ruins from Ancient Rome can still be found in Austria, Hungary, Romania, and the Balkans. No matter the climate, stone has a much better chance of surviving the natural and human upheavals of history. Whatever was not made of stone is likely to vanish with very few traces.
Many archaeological sites have been discovered by accident because they either got buried beneath the earth or became an imperceptible part of it until some happy accident of serendipity brought it to light. Much of the fertile land in Central and Eastern Europe has been worked and reworked for several thousand years obliterating earthen traces of history. A prime example is Austerlitz in Moravia. Most of the battlefield where Napoleon won his most famous victory is now farmland. When I visited, it was hard for me to believe that so many men fought a world historical battle on a landscape that bore few traces of the fighting. On the ground traces of the battle had long since disappeared beneath the plow. This is why I immediately think of stone anytime that I hear about historic ruins in Europe.
Ground truth – Kuruzzenschanze (Credit: Robert Hellinger)
Past Tense – Magyar Monuments
The most prevalent traces of the past that can be found in the lost lands beyond Hungary’s borders are castles, fortifications, and buildings. Many of the latter from the 19th and early 20th century are still in use today. When Hungarians either voluntarily or forcibly moved from the lost lands, newly dominant ethnic groups moved in to use the existing housing stock. This was especially true in the aftermath of the Second World War in regions like Burgenland that were the scene of vicious fighting. Housing was in short supply after the war and anything that had not been rendered uninhabitable was deemed usable. Other remnants of the ethnic Hungarian presence in the lost lands such as monuments and statues erected during the most intense periods of Magyarization were destroyed or removed so the stone could be put to other uses. There are still a few of these around, but compared to how many once stood, they are few and far between.
Interestingly, one surviving monument in Parndorf was erected after it had become part of the Burgenland. The Hungarian World War I monument in Parndorf lists the Magyarized names of those from the town who died in the conflict. Surviving remnants associated with Hungarian history prior to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918) are much rarer. One of the rare exceptions can be found stretching from the Danube through the Parndorf area and onward to Neusiedl am See. This is the Kuruzzenschanze (Kuruc rakpart) built by Habsburg Austrian troops to defend against kuruc incursions that threatened Vienna during Rakoczi’s War of Independence from 1703 – 1711. The kurucs were Hungarian (and Slavic) forces from the middle or lower nobility and peasantry. They were fighting to free Hungary from Habsburg rule which was being reinstated with a heavy hand after the Turks had been expelled from Hungarian territory. The Kurucs were aligned with Protestantism and opposed the Catholic Habsburgs and the Hungarians who sided with them. Kuruc forces had also been responsible for uprisings during the Turkish occupation, sometimes aligning with their foes.
Line on the horizon – Kuruzzenschanze (Credit: Josef Moser)
Tracer Fire – Tangible Proof
The Kurucs were a formidable fighting force that was a cross between guerrilla warriors and a voluntary army. They won many victories against Habsburg forces, but never complete victory in war. Their threat was taken with the utmost seriousness. This can be seen in an 18-kilometer section of the Kuruzzenschanze that is still visible and runs through the Pandorf area. That might not seem like much but finding anything of military value that existed prior to the 19th century not sculpted in stone can be an impossible task. The Kuruzzenschanze is more than just a fortification line. It is tangible evidence of the conflict between Austrians and Hungarians that defined the history of East-Central Europe in the early modern period. The evidence of their conflict has mostly vanished, but not in Burgenland.
Click here for: Invisible Forces – Making A Mint in Burgenland (The Lost Lands #44)
Europe Between East And West 