Duray Miklós Memorial

Miklós Duray (born July 18, 1945, in Losonc – died December 30, 2022) was a prominent figure in the Hungarian community in the Highlands, who spanned his life from a career as a geologist to hard-granite political struggles. At the time of his birth, the darkest period of persecution of Hungarians in Czechoslovakia began, which shaped his dedicated path worthy of his Destiny.

As a young man, he graduated as a geologist from the Komenský University in Bratislava, then worked at the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Doprastav – but all this was only the beginning. Already as a student, he actively fought for the rights of the Hungarian minority and participated in democratic movements for human rights. This passion led him to found the Hungarian Rights Protection Committee in Czechoslovakia (the forerunner of the later “Unity” movement) and to sign the Charter 77 document.

He was arrested several times in the 1980s – he was illegally accused for political reasons. International protests were launched in both the East and the West – he was released through the intervention of Amnesty International, the PEN Club and other organizations.

After the change of regime, he played a key role in the political organization of the Hungarians in the Highlands. He participated in the formation of the “Unity” movement and was the founder of the party alliance that later functioned as the Hungarian Coalition Party (MKP) – uniting the electoral power of the Hungarian community.

He also remained active as a writer: his books in the form of documents, essays, political studies and a storybook indicate his commitment. Dozens of his independent volumes have been published, including Kutyaszörtó I., Kettős előnkában, Csillagszilánk és tóvistórek, Autódelkezési épiságinek, Ne férj, jsz higgy!, and many others.

His main goal was not to pursue power, but to bring the minority community closer together spiritually and intellectually. In his words: “What I did, I never considered a sacrifice, but I did it because it seemed natural to me” – and this conviction became his most significant legacy.

He died on December 30, but his life's work lives on in his writings, his political and community activities, and the commemorations that are held in Losonc and throughout the Felvidék region – for example, the memorial day held on the 35th anniversary of the Együttélés movement.