Jan Mainka on the significance of historic photos for Hungary

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Pan-European picnic, a peace demonstration on the border between Austria and Hungary, Jan Mainka reflects in the weekly newspaper Hírszerző on the significance of this and other events for Hungary's international standing today: "Through courage, determination and sovereignty Hungary gained widespread international recognition twice in the second half of the twentieth century: in 1956 and 1989. ... Even those unfamiliar with Hungarian history will in all probability remember the images of young revolutionaries clutching their rifles and looking proudly into the camera. And the same is true of the photos of Hungarian border guards resolutely dismantling the border facilities of the Soviet empire in the spring of 1989. ... These undisputedly positive images have etched themselves for all time in Europe's collective memory. ... For Hungary they represent an inestimable treasure which will stand our country in good stead for a long time to come when people choose where to invest, lend money or spend their holiday."

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