The Treaty of Trianon, which ended World War I was signed 100 years ago, on June 4, 1920, in Versailles, France. As a result, Hungary lost 67% of its territory, 57% of its population, and nearly 3 million Hungarians were stranded outside the borders. To mark the anniversary, commemorations have been and are being held across the country and beyond the borders. In Budapest, at 4:30 pm, bells rang around the city and public transport also stopped, while in the evening, the Chain Bridge was also illuminated in red-white-green, to commemorate the treaty.
By the initiative of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Budapest’s most famous bridge, the Chain Bridge was illuminated with the colors of the national flag in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Trianon Treaty. The illumination started on the evening of June 4th, at the same time as all public lighting around the city.
Photo by Balázs Mohai/MTI
The bridge was last illuminated in red-white-green on the occasion of the national holiday on March 15th, and from March 27th, the Chain Bridge was given white decorative lighting in honor of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers who worked on the frontline during the coronavirus epidemic.
At 4:30 pm today, around 15,000 bells rang at the same time across the Carpathian Basin, in remembrance of the events from a hundred years ago, when bells were ringing in protest, and to call attention to the moment when the treaty was signed.
In Budapest, in addition to the bell ringing, public transport also stopped for one minute at 4:30 pm, by the initiative of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony. This also commemorated the events of 100 years ago, when public transport in the capital had stopped for 10 minutes at the time the Treaty of Trianon was signed in France.
Featured photo by Balázs Mohai/MTI