John Eszterhazy
Hungarian Heritage Award
Count, politician, father and martyr – János Esterházy is one of the few 20th-century statesmen who, despite his tragic life, stands as an example to us. The National Theatre’s performance on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the birth of “János Esterházy, the Servant of God” presents the journey of the “Star of the Highlands”.
What can give faith to a man who loses everything – career, family, freedom – because of his consistency, and although he knows that he will die far from home, in a Czechoslovak prison, he is never heard to complain?
János Esterházy is the most consistent representative of the Hungarian cause in the Highlands after Trianon. He stood up for Hungarian interests, but also for Slovak minority rights.
When, following the first Vienna decision in 1938, Governor Miklós Horthy enters Košice, the people greet him with jubilation in the main square of the flourishing city. János Esterházy brings dignity to the celebration of joy because he calls for self-restraint: “We, the Hungarians who have remained here, promise to shake hands with our Slovak brothers and sisters living here and work with them for a better future. And I ask the Hungarians who are here to have the deepest respect for the national feelings of the Slovaks who have been exiled here, to allow them to live here in the same way as we demand over there.”
Later, he would remain on the straight path dictated by his conscience and contradict the ideas of the Ordas. He would even receive his punishment for his good deeds. In 1942, as the sole representative of the Slovak parliament, he voted no to the law on the deportation of Jews: “because as a Hungarian and a Christian and as a Catholic, I consider the proposal to be godless and inhumane.” He personally saved Jewish families during the unfolding period of danger. He publicly confesses: “our sign is the cross, not the swastika.”
It is only natural that the Gestapo pursues him for this stand, but the Soviet occupiers also capture him: he is sent to the Gulag for two years of forced labor, and upon returning to communist Czechoslovakia, he is first sentenced to death without justification, then “by mercy” to life imprisonment, and he dies in prison.
The outdoor premiere of the biographical drama Homecoming was held by the National Theatre company on September 18, 2020 at the Esterházy János Pilgrimage Center in Alsóbodok. The mystery play about the martyred politician was written and compiled by György Lukácsy based on letters, diary entries, literary texts and other documents.
On November 7 at 7 p.m. and November 8 at 3 p.m., the play about the drama of János Esterházy will be presented again at the Gobbi Hilda Stage of the National Theatre: spectators are welcome for both occasions.
Director Ödön Rubold will give a warm-up before the performance on Thursday, and after the performance on Friday, the experience will be complemented by a meeting with the audience.
As an accompanying program, the exhibition entitled Servant of God: The Life of János Esterházy can be viewed in the third-floor lobby one hour before the start of the performance. (Source:felvidek.ma)
What can give faith to a man who loses everything – career, family, freedom – because of his consistency, and although he knows that he will die far from home, in a Czechoslovak prison, he is never heard to complain?
János Esterházy is the most consistent representative of the Hungarian cause in the Highlands after Trianon. He stood up for Hungarian interests, but also for Slovak minority rights.
When, following the first Vienna decision in 1938, Governor Miklós Horthy enters Košice, the people greet him with jubilation in the main square of the flourishing city. János Esterházy brings dignity to the celebration of joy because he calls for self-restraint: “We, the Hungarians who have remained here, promise to shake hands with our Slovak brothers and sisters living here and work with them for a better future. And I ask the Hungarians who are here to have the deepest respect for the national feelings of the Slovaks who have been exiled here, to allow them to live here in the same way as we demand over there.”
Later, he would remain on the straight path dictated by his conscience and contradict the ideas of the Ordas. He would even receive his punishment for his good deeds. In 1942, as the sole representative of the Slovak parliament, he voted no to the law on the deportation of Jews: “because as a Hungarian and a Christian and as a Catholic, I consider the proposal to be godless and inhumane.” He personally saved Jewish families during the unfolding period of danger. He publicly confesses: “our sign is the cross, not the swastika.”
It is only natural that the Gestapo pursues him for this stand, but the Soviet occupiers also capture him: he is sent to the Gulag for two years of forced labor, and upon returning to communist Czechoslovakia, he is first sentenced to death without justification, then “by mercy” to life imprisonment, and he dies in prison.
The outdoor premiere of the biographical drama Homecoming was held by the National Theatre company on September 18, 2020 at the Esterházy János Pilgrimage Center in Alsóbodok. The mystery play about the martyred politician was written and compiled by György Lukácsy based on letters, diary entries, literary texts and other documents.
On November 7 at 7 p.m. and November 8 at 3 p.m., the play about the drama of János Esterházy will be presented again at the Gobbi Hilda Stage of the National Theatre: spectators are welcome for both occasions.
Director Ödön Rubold will give a warm-up before the performance on Thursday, and after the performance on Friday, the experience will be complemented by a meeting with the audience.
As an accompanying program, the exhibition entitled Servant of God: The Life of János Esterházy can be viewed in the third-floor lobby one hour before the start of the performance. (Source:felvidek.ma)