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Historical treasure in the Hague Zoo: Hungarian Hussar documents discovered!
A chest containing historical documents from the Hungarian Hussar Division was discovered in the Hague Zoo, shedding new light on the history of the war.
Historical treasure in the Hague Zoo: Hungarian Hussar documents discovered!
A sensational discovery was made in the Haag Zoo in Lower Austria that is of great historical importance. A mysterious chest that had been hidden in the floor of the deer enclosure for decades was discovered using a metal detector. This box contains documents from the Hungarian Royal 1st Honvéd Hussars Division, which was stationed at Salaberg Castle in May 1945 with around 10,000 men. The find could open a new chapter in the Hungarian-American war history, as krone.at reports.
The materials included include diaries, orders, maps and situation reports documenting the final weeks of the Hussar Division. Historian István Szebenyi and his team specifically searched for these documents. A crucial clue to the whereabouts of the chest came from a letter from 1948. This reported that the documents were buried in the park of a castle on the east bank of the Enns - precisely in Salaberg Castle.
Historical relevance of the Hussar Division
The Hussar Division fought against Bolshevism on the Eastern Front during World War II and was very afraid of the Soviets. Legend has it that a friendship between Hungarian Colonel Malanotti and US General George S. Patton saved the Hussars from being extradited to the Soviets. According to initial evaluations, the finds actually indicate contacts between Malanotti and Patton. In May 1945, the division with around 1,200 horses managed to escape via the Enns power plant and surrender to the US armed forces, as kurier.at reports.
However, many hussars later suffered the fate of being captured by the Russians and deported. The find will initially be kept in the safe of the Hague City Hall. The municipality plans to leave all documents to the state archives, which further underlines the importance of the find. Szebenyi sees these revelations as a new chapter in the Hungarian-American history of war and remembrance.
Mayor Lukas Michlmayr (ÖVP) expressed his joy about this remarkable find, which not only enriches local history, but could also shed new light on international historical relationships. This could reveal a dramatic history of mounted regiments that took place in the turmoil of war and political upheaval. Further details and information can be found at noe.orf.at.