“Such a spring has only been once in my life”
Exhibition series about the spring military campaign of 1849
MúzeumCafé 10.
Several hundred items are being exhibited in relation to one of the most glorious periods of Hungarian history, the 1848-49 War of Independence against Habsburg rule. The most prominent exhibitions include treasures lent by private collectors, who are also helping with financial contributions. In doing this they are recalling the birth of Hungarian museums, since the country’s main collections were originally the result of individual initiatives. Besides exhibitions in Budapest, six county museums are displaying the items, which are being ‘toured’ on two routes. The final destination is the local museum in Arad, just across the border. Norbert Máday’s set of objects stands out from among the varied, rich material provided by private collectors. It is comparable to the Arad Museum’s own collection, though no other public compilation has anything similar. The Budapest History Museum is the location relating to the peak of the spring military campaign – the recapture of Buda Castle in May 1849 – but the National Museum lends itself best to recalling the March 1848 revolution and the preceding events. One starting point of the exhibition series is the Damjanich Museum in Szolnok. It was near here that General
János Damjanich led the Hungarians to their first major victory, which had a decisive influence on the future course of military developments. The Déri Museum in Debrecen is the beginning point for the other route. It is not primarily the spring campaign but an event of outstanding importance which relates to this town – the official declaration by Lajos Kossuth of the dethronement of the Habsburgs. Other locations in the country – the towns of Békéscsaba, Kiskunfélegyháza, Székesfehérvár – and finally Arad in Romania all present their connections with the historical events, as well as featuring the background to the 1849 campaign. The general offensive of the imperial army began in the middle of December 1848 with the result that the Hungarians were forced to retreat. General Artúr Görgey had to relinquish Transdanubia and Buda-Pest. The Austrian army occupied much of Upper Hungary (today Slovakia) and the Hungarians also evacuated the southern regions. Yet, by the middle of February the troops of General Józef Bem had reoccupied a great part of Transylvania and General Dembiński was ready to attack. The first attempt on 26 and 27 February at Kápolna ended in defeat, but the victorious General Windisch-Grätz did not dare risk crossing the River Tisza. By the middle of March Bem’s troops had liberated the whole of Transylvania and driven out the Austrian and Russian troops. At the same time, General Mór Perczel recaptured the southern regions. The main army led by Görgey drove the imperial army to the western border within four weeks. Every set battle was won by the Hungarians. To crown the campaign Görgey’s forces recaptured Buda on 21 May. Besides the events and personalities of the spring campaign, the exhibitions also present the cult of the War of Independence with the help of rare items obtained mainly from abroad. On each route the exhibitions include the same set of objects, while adding local specialities and emblematic items. The Budapest History Museum, which is managing the project, is displaying a selection of objects from the Arad Museum as well as surviving sections of the cyclorama depicting Bem’s victory at Nagyszeben painted by a group of artists led by Jan Styka. Museum educators are holding sessions particularly with young people in mind. There is an interactive floor and digital screens show the exhibiting towns on an enormous contemporary map. ‘Talking cabinets’ relate the adventurous story of how the objects were acquired by collectors.