| fericzobor: Re: Dearest people, | I’m fundamentally against any anti-Hungarian Romanian extremist nationalism, as well as against any anti-Romanian Hungarian extremist nationalism.
What the people involved in this discussion didn’t understand is the real scope of the noble work of Mr. Bogárdi, who evidently spent enormously much work, time and energy to set up this Radix Forum.
Regarding the problem of Transylvania: it really doesn’t matter who was first there. It matters the actual ethnic reality. Since there live some 7 million Romanians and some 2 million Hungarians, it is correct that it belongs to Romania. But, in the same time, we don’t have to forget that the 2 million Transylvanian Hungarians represent the biggest ethnic minority in Europe, thus their rights have to be respected. And in the context of the EU accession, it should no more be put the problem where Transylvania must belong. If Germany and France, or Austria and Italy, could find a way to surpass their old conflicts in the frame of EU, why shouldn’t succeed also Romania and Hungary in doing the same?
Sorry for the hot-minded fellows, but “Transylvania back to Hungary” sounds anachronistic, outdated, obsolete. With both Hungary and Romania in the EU, what matters where Transylvania belongs? It belongs to EUROPE !!
Regarding the name of Cluj-Napoca / Kolozsvár: Mr. KLüpper (or whoever hides behind this name) should know that Kolozsvár is not a “nickname”, but an alternative name of the city, like “Klausenburg” in German or “Claudiopolis” in mediaeval Latin. Moreover, Kolozsvár was the official name of the city until 1920. It was never called officially “Cluj” before 1920; and Cluj-Napoca is from 1974.
For the practical purpose of the Radix Forum, beside the official name (Cluj-Napoca in this case), it is useful to indicate, as it does, also the former official name (Kolozsvár, in this case). Because most people who immigrated to America did it at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century, if they proceeded from what is now Cluj-Napoca, which was at that time called officially Kolozsvár. So they probably told their children that they came from Kolozsvár. And if some great-grandson nowadays wants to find his ancestry in Europe, he will look for Kolozsvár, not for Cluj-Napoca. (How lucky is my native city, having the same name in Romanian, Hungarian and German: Arad !!)
Another word for Mr. KLüpper: Transylvania is not only the home of 7 million Romanians, but also for 2 million Hungarians. And, doesn’t matter who was first, but the Hungarians are not recent immigrants in Transylvania. As I understood, the first Hungarian settlements in Transylvania date from the time of the leader Géza, the father of St. Stephen (István, the first king of Hungary), thus from the second half of the 10th century. And if a person, for example American, descendant of a Hungarian from Kolozsvár / Cluj-Napoca, wants to look for his ancestors, it would make sense to look for them in Kolozsvár / Cluj-Napoca, not in Budapest. I hope there is no need for further explanation.
In conclusion, all Hungarian and Romanian fellows, please move your nationalistic squabbles elsewhere. This site is dedicated to all persons, regardless their ethnic origin, who want to find their ancestry on the territory of historic Hungary (that is, the country that the ancestors of most of them left at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century). Let’s not defile the noble scope of this Forum!
Czobor Francisc (Feri)
Bucharest, Romania
|
| | |
