Hungarian uprising anniversary recalls 180,000 who fled to Austria

The Hungarian uprising began 70 years ago, when people took to the streets in Budapest on October 23, 1956, demanding democracy and freedom. Russian tanks crushed the revolution on November 4. ORF Styria reported on commemorations and the uprising’s lasting impact in the region.

Memorial events were held in Budapest on Friday. A day earlier, the Hungarian community in Graz held a service at Graz Cathedral. Historians also met this week at the University of Graz for an international conference on the 1956 uprising and Austria, sharing new research with partners including Harvard University, institutions in Budapest, Vienna’s Army History Museum and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War.

About 180,000 Hungarians fled to Austria in 1956, most of them in November, after the uprising was crushed. Austria kept its border open. Peter Ruggenthaler of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute said Austria had declared itself politically aligned with its Hungarian neighbours and sought to show solidarity, despite having announced its permanent neutrality only a year earlier.

Tens of thousands of refugees also came to Styria. Residents donated clothing and blankets and offered accommodation. There were fears that Soviet forces might return to Austria, a year after their withdrawal. But new research shows that neither Austria nor the Soviet Union wanted the uprising to destroy the good relations established through the State Treaty, said Maximillian Graf of the State Archives. Both sides sought to restore good relations as soon as possible.

About 30,000 of the refugees stayed in Austria, including thousands in Styria. “It still has an impact 70 years later because the associations are still active,” said Rudi Roth, a business owner and Hungary’s honorary consul for more than 30 years.