100 years of the (Czech)Slovak Danubian border

IN HUNGARIAN

In 1910 there were only two Slovak majority settlements on the banks of the Danube. One of them remained in Hungary after the Trianon decision, the other was annexed to Yugoslavia. The fact that there were practically only Hungarians on both sides of the Danube was not a factor in the drawing of the (Czech) Slovak-Hungarian Danube border in 1920. In today's post, we use a series of border maps recently posted on mapire.eu to explore what has changed along the 142-kilometre-long Danube border over the past 100 years. 

Before we start to discuss the changes in the course of the river and its surroundings, it should be noted that since 4 June 1920 the border between Hungary and Czechoslovakia has changed several times. It has changed so much that by the end of this post we may want back the absurd, unrealistic 'Trianon' borders along this stretch.

Before 1920, the Hungarian section of the Danube stretched from the mouth of the Morava river to Ada Kaleh, initially over a thousand kilometres in length. By 1893, this figure had fallen to 997 kilometres as a result of river regulation. Today, the Hungarian section of the Danube is 417 kilometres long (637 kilometres periodically between 1941 and 1944), of which only 275 kilometres are exclusively in Hungarian territory.

The Slovak-Hungarian section of the Danube by right and left bank (source: wikipedia)

On 4 June 1920, at 4:30 p.m., Hungary signs the peace treaty ending the first world war. Under this treaty, the main shipping route on the Danube between the mouth of the Ipoly and the northern administrative boundary of Horvátjárfalu (Jarovce) village south of Bratislava automatically becomes the border between Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The islands are divided between the two countries according to which side of the shipping route (Thalweg) they fall on. This line is not the same as the river's centre line, which connects points equidistant from both banks. And it did not necessarily coincide everywhere with the drift line of the river, which is officially defined as the imaginary line connecting the points of maximum velocity of successive cross-sections of the river.

The demarcation did not take ethnic considerations into account at all. There were Slovaks living along the Danube, but nowhere did their proportion exceed 25% (Dévény, Devín), and in the free royal city of Pozsony (Bratislava) it was only 10%. On the Slovak side, the closest Slovak-majority settlement to the river was Pozsonyhidegkút (Dúbravka) between Dévín and Bratislava, 3.2 km north from the banks as the crow flies. On the Hungarian side, Mogyorósbánya was slightly closer to the Danube, at 3.1 km.

A further ethnic geographical curiosity was that 88% of the Slovak population living in Esztergom County, cut in two by the Danube border, remained in Hungary, as most of them lived south of the Danube in the district of Esztergom. The same was true to a lesser extent in Komárom county, where 58% of the Slovak population remained in Hungary. Perhaps this is why the Entente negotiating delegation seriously considered leaving the Csallóköz, with its 98% Hungarian population, to Hungary. In the end, this was only an idea, as strategic considerations weighed more heavily. Under the Trianon decision, a short stretch of the Danube flowed exclusively through Czechoslovak territory, as Czechoslovakia was given the village of Pozsonyligetfalu (Petržalka), which belonged to the Transdanubia region.

On 2 November 1938, the First Vienna Award largely abolished the Danube border, except for a short section. Since Germany also received two settlements from Slovakia, such as Dévény and Pozsonyligetfalu, the Slovak Danube border was reduced to a short stretch between Bratislava and Szemet (Kalinkovo), which village was returned to Hungary. The capital of the independent Slovakia, Bratislava remained the only exit to the Danube. The border, measured on the basis of a pharmacy scale and taking ethnic relations into account as much as possible, remained in force until 1945. (you can browse this border here)

On 10 February 1947, under the Paris Peace Treaty, the Danube border between Hungary and the re-created Czechoslovakia was restored with one modification: three Transdanubian villages, the so-called Bratislava bridgehead, were transferred to Czechoslovakia. Dunacsún, Horvátjárfalu and Oroszvár were again separated by a strategic idea, as the majority of the inhabitants (mainly in Oroszvár) were ethnic Germans, while the other two settlements were Croatian-majority, with a significant Hungarian minority and a negligible Slovak population. There were plans to include Rajka and Bezenye in Czechoslovakia, but this was not supported by the Peace Conference. In 1947, the length of the Danube River within Slovak territory nearly doubled. As it later turned out, the decision had a disastrous effect on the Danube, which later allowed the construction of the Bős (Gabčíkovo) power station and the unilateral diversion of the Danube in October 1992. After the construction of the "Variant C", many in Hungary believed that since the border between the two states was still the shipping route, Doborgaz, Vajka and Nagybodak had effectively been transferred to Hungary through the diversion of the river. Unfortunately, as we will see, this is not the case, as the Danube border is not like the border of the Ipoly or the Maros rivers, where the border has to be redrawn at regular intervals to follow the changes in the river's channel.

After the long introduction, let's see what changes have taken place along the border in terms of islands. The map sections for the Danube show a close relationship with the 1:5000 scale site plan of the Danube of 1911. The inscriptions have been replaced by Slovakian ones, but there is still a typical phonetic transcription of Hungarian nomenclature, e.g. sihoť instead of ostrov. Since the 1925 version focuses mainly on the boundary line, all other distractions such as drift lines and inscriptions have been removed. 

The Muzslai-island, below Nyergesújfalu on the Slovak side, was still there. Its closed upper side branch has been almost completely silted up in the last 100 years. It will be worth visiting the buried enclosure one day.

The island of Nyergesújfalu was placed on the Slovak side, despite being closer to the Hungarian side. At that time it was much smaller, and the stone dyke to the Slovak coast did not yet exist. Over the last century, the island has grown upstream, and the forest that has grown on the gravel bar is still well marked by vegetation.

The island of Süttő is also on the Slovak side. Here, the stone dyke was already in place. Fortunately, it was later opened up, and the intervention created some interesting alluvial deposits. There are two islands in the Karva bay that have disappeared, one of them was the island of Karva, the other one I could not find a Hungarian name for, called Vrbinová sihoť in Slovak. 

Above Gönyű the situation is getting complicated. The regulation has changed the sedimentation of the river, creating gravel bars in the middle of the riverbed, which later became forested. However, they 'grew' out of the Danube, just along the shipping lane, so the unchanged border line bisects the upper island. 

The next stop is near Ásványráró at river mile 1818. The situation in Gönyű has deteriorated further, due to the Bős hydroelectrical plant's service water channel shown in the initial image. The discharge of the Old Danube has been reduced to a quarter and an eighth depending on the season due to the diversion. Due to the reduced flow the width of the river has halved since 1993. There are wide gravel bars on the river banks where the encroachment of vegetation seems unstoppable. The border is not on the shipping lane, just as ships no longer pass through. 

A part of the Bős dam and the artificially created Slovak Danube region. The meandering tributary system is mostly silted up, forested and gone.

The abandoned Dunakiliti dam was originally intended to divert the Danube. After the Hungarian side cancelled the treaty, the Slovak side built its own facility upstream at Dunacsun, which was made possible by the already mentioned 1947 Paris Peace Treaty and allowed the Danube to be diverted. 

At Dunacsún you can still see the inscription M.O. Hongrie, marking the pre-1947 border line. The settlement, which has a Croatian population, was annexed to Czechoslovakia in 1947, and a dam was built on its outskirts to divert most of the water flow to Bős. It is used to regulate the flow of water into the Old Danube and the Moson Danube. 

We see the former northernmost point of Transdanubia, northeast of Horvárjárfalu, in the Danube. Between 1920 and 1947 this was the point where the Danube entered Hungarian territory, between the 1860 and 1861 river kilometres. Nowadays, this point is 10 kilometres further south, at Dunakilit at river kilometre 1850. This section of 10 Danubian river kilometres have changed the inter-island landscape of the Danube Valley forever. 

It is quite certain that the Danube, the Szigetköz and the Csallóköz would look different if the "Trianon" Danube border were still in force...

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Reflections on the Somlyó Island

IN HUNGARIAN

The island of Somlyó is practically invisible from the Soroksári-Duna, just south of Budapest. Only three almost invisible landmarks reveal that a large island is hidden on the left bank between Ráckeve and Dömsöd. A bridge, a culvert and a lock ensure that you can find the hidden Dömsödi Holt-Duna, one of the most beautiful tributaries of the Soroksári-Duna.

The Dömsödi Holt-Duna surrounds the largest island of the Soroksári-Duna, the Somlyó Island, from the east. This alone makes the Dömsödi Holt-Duna the longest tributary, at 6.5 kilometres. However, the accurate lenght can be doubtful, since the tributary was cut in two in 1941 [1] with the construction of the Dömsödi Drainage Canal, which divided it into a 4.1-kilometre and a 2.4-kilometre section. It was built at the thinnest point of the Somlyó Island, where the island narrows to only 37 metres. This channel also bisects the odd-shaped Somlyó Island. The lower part, which is called "Upper Island" for the sake of clarity in Dömsöd, has already been described on this blog. 

On 22 October 2020, we walked the upper 4.1 km section of the Dömsödi Holt-Duna on the Somlyó Island side. The walk is not easy, at least not without a lot of patience. The main difficulty comes from the mosaic nature of Somlyó Island. This mosaicism is reflected in the settlement structure, i.e. the layout of built-up areas is not uniform, with clusters of weekend houses often interrupted by ploughs and woods. The topography is also varied, at least for a lowland Danube island, with many deeper parts, formerly remains of old tributaries, where most of the inland water is now drained. In many places there are still traces of former land use, farmland, which has not yet been completely eradicated by the parcelling out of land for weekend houses. Presumably, due to the considerable size of the island (3 square kilometres), this will take more time.

The width of the Dömsödi Holt-Duna is relatively narrow compared to its length, varying between 15 and 30 metres, which can be further narrowed by the reeds on the river banks. It receives some fresh water from the Soroksári-Duna at the island's head towards Ráckeve via an iron pipe under the road, but this is not enough to make it a living river. The estuary can reach a depth of 1.5 metres in places, but this is constantly decreasing as the low flow rate is unable to flush out the accumulated organic matter. It is often covered with frogweed, with reeds appearing in the lower part, close to the sluice. 

On both sides of the backwater, nature reigns, despite the mosaic of coastal cottages that in some places approach the Dömsödi Holt-Duna. There is no direct road along the banks, precisely because of the cottages, but access is easy on the paths perpendicular to the Dömsödi Holt-Duna, although some of these are closed by the residents. Where there are paths along the shore, they are mainly used by anglers. As well as illegal dumps. The left bank, the Danube–Tisza Interfluve, is more monotonous, with forests interspersed with arable land and no passable paths along the banks.

Since the closure of the Soroksári-Duna (1872), the Dömsödi Holt-Duna has not only lost a large part of its discharge, but the riverbed has also narrowed. Evidence of this can be found in the middle section of the backwater, where a ditch runs parallel to the road and is separated from the dead section by a bank. This ditch acts as a kind of suspended basin, filling with water in wet weather, marking the width of the former channel. Which was around 60 metres 150 years ago.  

Strangely, a little island could have formed in this narrow branch. The most interesting hydrological formation of the Dömsödi Holt-Duna is this single unnamed island, located between the line of Kála and Tűvelevelű streets. It is 140 metres long and has a maximum width of only 20 metres. It is much easier to find it on maps than in real life. The streets leading to this island either end in a reed bed, from where you can't see anything, or are closed off by a wire fence. On the opposite bank is also a holiday resort, but a small dug canal leads down to the top of the island (see picture below). There is also an impenetrable "jungle" on this side, but the lower tip of the island is not only inaccessible because of this, but also because of the upsilted backwater. 

This is the smallest island in the whole Soroksári branch, except for the floating bogs. As its upsilting is at an advanced stage, it is worth visiting it as soon as possible. The best way to do this is by canoe, as we found out on our tour. You only have to lift it twice. 

[1] SZABÓ BENEDEK: A társulatok szerepe a Duna-Tisza közi hátság vízgazdálkodási problémáinak megoldásában. in.: A Magyar Hidrológiai Társaság XIII. Országos Vándorgyűlése I. kötet (Baja, 1995. július 4-6.)

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Skull of the Danube

Skull on the Danube (16 November 2018. image by: Kaszás Gergő) 

Gergő Kaszás shared some particularly beautiful drone images of this year's and last autumn's Danubian low waters. One of the most interesting had the shape of a skull of an ancient reptile. It could have been a riddle where the picture was taken, but surely few would have guessed, because this river regulation structure made of stone is not even found in Hungary. It is part of a curved guide bank built on the left side of the island of Süttő, in Slovakia, which directs the shipping route to the coast of Süttő. In this post we will examine it not only the shape, but also for the way it was formed. .

Below Dunamocs (Moča), the stone revetment starts from the bank, then continues in the river bed with a break where the smaller branch receives some water from the main branch, until it reaches the southern side of the Süttő island. This structure has existed for at least a hundred years and partially closes off a branch of the river. It was connected to the bank by a cross dam until recently. Between 2006 and 2010, this cross dam, which used to close the tributary, was cut through. The excavated crop stones were not taken far, but were piled up in gullies on both sides, thus forming these two strange parallel stone scatters next to the "skull's" eye. 

View of the "skull" half century ago (Fentrol.hu 12. November 1969.)

Both the construction of the curved guide bank and the dismantling of the cross barrier have profoundly altered the Danube's sediment regime. The Slovakian tributary was extensively silted up, but gravel and sand bar formation also occurred on the main branch. Over time, a gap appeared in the guide bank, and a current finding its way through such a gap formed the cavity of the skull's eye. A further 'pit', a much larger cauldron, was also formed, presumably by the disruption of the cross dam. The left-hand side of the picture shows how the increased water flow 'sucked' off the sediment deposited in the foreground of the curved guide bank. This is a particularly striking phenomenon at low tide, showing that the Danube bed is constantly changing, albeit under human influence.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Trecut, prezent și viitor pe Defileul Dunării

în maghiară

Dacă pleci în concediu merită sa o faci așa cum a facut-o poetul Szálinger Balázs, împreună cu soția și cu copilul încă nenăscut. Nu știu cât timp i-a luat organizarea concediului dar făcutul bagajelor a fost cea mai mică parte a pregătirilor. Mult mai mult i-a luat în schimb documentarea, cercetarea în bibliotecă. Concediul pentrecut la Ieșelnița s-a materializat și într-o carte care aduce aminte fie de călătoriile din marginea Bazinului Carpatic ale autorului Margittai Gábor fie de revelațiile tânărului Patrick Leight Fermor.

Am avut ocazia sa lecturez cartea înainte de apariția ei – probabil de asta se menționează și numele meu la sfârșit – și pot să afirm că este singurul text în care nu am găsit nimic de reproșat. Mai mult decât atât, am descoperit aici o serie de întâmplari de care nu am auzit până acum. I-am raspuns că „Este exact cum trebuie să fie!”, dar într-un mod mai profan. Nădăjduiesc sincer că această carte se va traduce, in viitorul nu prea îndepărtat, în limbile română și turcă, astfel și localnicii vor putea afla una alta despre trecutul lor și al regiunii. 

Postarea neobișnuită de acum poate fi considerată a fi o recomandare de carte, cu acordul autorului și cu preluarea a 16 fotografii cu Defileul Dunării, așa cum a fost, cum este și cum va fi în viitor acest segment al fluviului.

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Povestitorul danez Hans Christian Andersen a venit în Ungaria anului 1841 cu vaporul, dinspre sud. Ajuns la Orșova, ca orice călător care venea din Balcani, a trebuit sa rămână zece zile in carantină. „De fapt, pe lumea asta, toți trăim în carantină până când primim permisiunea marii călătorii celeste”, scria destul de firesc pentru condițiile de atunci. A călătorit până la Pesta iar una din cele mai frumoase remarci referitoare la zona defileului a fost „Unii funcționari discutau in latina, dovadă ca deja suntem în Ungaria.” 

Sa vorbești latina, da... dar să și discuți?

Una din cel mai importante stații ale călătoriei noastre a fost Hinova, un sat în aval de Turnu Severin. Un deal de unde se deschide o priveliște grozavă asupra curbelor ciudate descrise de fluviul, de acum liniștit, care tocmai a trecut Carpații. Dar nu curbele sunt cele captivante ci faptul că de aici poți vedea drept în Porțile de Fier. In urmă cu doi ani am urmărit o furtună de acolo. Norii prinși în strâmtoare au conturat marginile rupturii pe unde trece Dunărea. Dupa părerea mea toți cei interesați de subiect ar trebui sa vadă odata de aici. De aici e foarte usor de ințeles scurgerea din Carpați a fluviului. De aici se poate întelege foarte ușor unitatea georgarafică a Bazinului Carpatic. Cu excepția Dunajecului cu izvorul la granița actuală dintre Polonia și Slovacia, a Jiului si a Oltului, regăsim aici laolaltă scurgerea tuturor arterelor adunate din Bazinul Carpatic. Și acum se vedea strâmtoarea dar nu era conturată de norii de furtună. Locul cu pricina e lângă soseaua principala, la o curba spre stânga, într-un popas auto plin de gunoaie și de caini vagabonzi cu ochi triști.

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In fața noastră, în fiecare seară (acum la ora 22:45, ora locală) răsare superb luna. Cerul se aprinde in culoare roșiatică/albă ca o rană deasupra munților sârbești. Sunt și ceva nori iar luna urcă diformă și spectaculos de repede (!). Cu cât urca cu atât își intră mai bine in proporții. Privim la ea cu binoclul. Mai trece cate o mașina pe la spatele nostru, mai vedem câte o lumină vis-a-vis, deseori se aud păsări răpitoare de pe partea sârbeasca. Și broaște, și câte un plescait de apă, lătrat de câine. Gigi coboara cu lanterna la apă, din jumatate in jumatate de oră, verifică daca a prins ceva.

Ieri am pornit la 19:58 de pe malul celalat, exact de vis-a-vis față de aici. Am aproximat că ne ia cam 30-40 de minute până la Hidrocentrala și înapoi. Atât ne-ar fi luat dacă la punctul de trecere de la hidrocentrală, controlul de pe malul românesc, nu ar fi rămas în pană de curent. Am așteptat. După zece minute de stat în coloană am stins farurile, rând pe rând au facut la fel și mașinile din spatele meu. Au oprit motoarele, au stins farurile. Am stat exact 30 de minute în beznă și liniste deplină. Am intrat în Uniunea Europeana. Nu era electricitate in timp ce sub noi, hidrocentrala, o genera din abundență.

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Gigi răsfoiește cu interes pozele cu orașul vechi. Se vede în privirea lui că nu ințelege ce naiba am eu în comun cu toată treaba asta, cu Orșova, cu orasul vechi. Cum îi trec fotografiile prin fața enumeră numele străzilor, uneori suspină, îmi arată unde a crescut. Ma gândesc între timp cum o fi să devii din adolescent de mică urbe un locuitor de cartier.

Laolaltă cu toți cunoscuții tai, în același timp.

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...Decebal era un central european deosebit de simpatic, ieșit din tipar, care s-a opus curentului de occidentalizare și a pierdut. Probabil ar clatina din cap daca ar vedea azi, după 1900 de ani, ce rol a primit în mitologia unui popor. Mitologiile naționale bineînțeles nu reprezinta nici o problema în sine, până la momentul în care se amestecă cu istoria reală. Statuia însă a fost facută de un adevărat idiot, un miliardar, care era atât editorul cât și confidentul lui Ceasusecu. Responsabilul activităților de comerț exterior și mândru de trecutul lui legionar... adica cum sa mă exprim... Garda de Fier. Pe langă asta scria și cărți de istorie, despre mareșalul Antonescu, despre Daci, despre cercetări de piață, despre ce se pricepea în general. In 1994 a scris istoria Românilor, în 1966 istoria adevarată a Românilor. E posibil totuși ca numele lui să rămână păstrat doar de această statuie (bineînteles ca și-a cioplit numele in ea – așa ca nici nu îl mai scriu aici). Din păcate pe domnul ăsta nu îl pot pune alături de tâmpiții noștrii, pentru că după o viață lungă si frumoasă, în casa lui din Palma de Mallorca, și-a înnapoiat sufletul, Dumnezeu știe cui.

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Azi ne-au gătit ei. Saramura de pește – specialitate dunăreana româneasca, crap mic în zeamă vegetală sărată, mai seacă decât o supă dar mai zemoasă decât un sos. Înainte însă se prăjesc toate ingredientele. Fața de ce aveam noi în cap despre gătirea unui pește, aici am vazut un concept cu totul diferit. Se prea poate ca tocmai să fi experimantat o culme a gastronomiei românești, deși nu eram chiar neinițiați. Gigi ne-a spus că în deltă se face chiar mai gustoasă decât aici.

...Iar odată cu inundarea insulei Ada Kaleh s-a scufundat și echipa de fotbal Beche Veche ce juca în liga regională. Aici jucau doar turcii localnici, dar galeria venea cu bărcile din satele de pe mal. Sponzorii echipei erau fabricile de dulciuri si țigari. În anii ’60, pe Ada Kaleh, a jucat cu echipa locală și echipa Steaua București, care pe atunci se numea CCA. Meci amical. Starurile i-au bătut pe insulari la 9-1. Îsi amintește un jucător localnic al vremii, cum că pe fotografia de echipa făcută atunci – oaspeții - aveau toți în mâini câte un pește mare. In acea zi a jucat și Jenei Imre, spunea că trebuiau să aiba grijă la șuturile puternice să nu trimită mingile in dunăre, că altfel costul meciului de antrenament ar fi fost prea ridicat, dar în final au pierdut doar o singura minge. Când dunărea avea nivelul ridicat mingea ajungea des în apa, dar turcii erau pregatiți cu o barca specială pentru a o recupera.

Am identificat șarpele, era viperă cu corn (Vipera ammodytes), una din speciile cele mai veninoase. Mai bine nici nu înșir ce scenarii ar fi fost posibile. Aici ii zice Vipera cu corn datorită proeminenței de pe cap. În Bazinul Carpatic traiește doar în Banat. Gigi spunea că in Cazane sunt multe vipere, dar decând are această proprietate, adică de 20 de ani, nu a vazut niciuna în curte. Se jura ca s-au și speriat. Venea la pisici, de aia s-a și întors. Este circumspect cu oamenii, s-a retras, chiar și cand il presa Gigi dădea in retragere. Când nu mai avea unde să se retragă atatca puternic și constant, încerca să scape de lopată. Știa exact pe cine ar trebui să muște. Mă gândeam ce dobitoc am fost când l-am gonit prima oară. Credeam că e ceva năpârcă mai mare, încercam să îl gonesc cu piciorul încalțat cu doar un papuc, să îi nimeresc capul. Zsófi s-a ascuns între timp iar acum, după eveniment, zic că am avut mare noroc că nu mi-a vazut ieșirile de masculinitate. Aș avea ce să ascult de la ea vreme bună de acum.

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Cântecele și poveștile turcilor, ajunsi atunci departe de Turcia au fost culese de Kúnos Ignác, la începutul secolului XX. Un superb cântec este despre pierderea Budei (din perspectiva turcească): Nu cânta privigehtoare, s-a facut vară și primăvară,/ Suspinul privighetoarei mi-a rănit inima,/ A venit timpul să negociem trandafirul./ Ne-a luat neamțul fermecatoarea Buda.

Filmul

Trece un tanc peste prun. 

Berze clipesc pe coșuri de fum. 

Animalele din proximitatea oamenilor nu înțeleg ce face omul. 

Gunoi care plutește. 

Apa care se apropie de cimitirul de pe malul dunării. 

Câte un mormânt profanat, golit. Mormânt inundat, părăsit. 

Poarta cimitirului inundată. 

Pe strada 10 cm. de apă, o femeie trece cu bicileta prin ea, în drum dinspre servici. 

Știe oare care este ultima zi? 

De o platforma se descarcă scaune, ghivece cu flori. 

În fundal cartier cu parfum nou, răni înca nevindecate de construcție. 

Pe locurile caselor de odinioară stive ordonate de cărămizi. 

Candelabru demontat, așezat pe mijlocul bisericii. 

Macarale care se rotesc triumfător. 

Șosea provizorie între orașul nefinalizat si orașul neîntreg. 

Camioane mergând în ambele sensuri încărcate cu dulapuri bine ancorate. 

Oameni cară printre casele orbite de lipsa tâmplariei. 

Zăpada de 3 cm. peste molozul din construcții. 

Tata cu doi copii, unul in brațe, se duc să se uite la periferia orașului mort. 

Nu știu ce se întamplă fiule. 

Mai jos cu câteva sute de km., într-un orașel dunărean, un tată identic, cu doi copii la fel. 

Apă tulbure, gunoi, deșeuri, lucruri neobișnuite în fluviu, cu săptamânile, cu lunile. 

Gunoi plutitor, copilării plutitoare. 

Nu știu ce se întamplă fiule, dar eu știu ca nu e război.

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Pot să fiu nemulțumit în situația asta? Pot să plec arogant, așa cum am mai făcut-o, dezaprobând ceva, ceva ce probabil aș face/trăi și eu la fel? De unde aș putea să știu că la Oroșva, fiul meu care se va naște peste trei luni, ar rămâne tot maghiar? Este evident că nu ar rămâne așa cum sunt eu. Pe cine am dreptul să fiu supărat? Pe Dumenzeu? Pe marile puteri? Pe liderii iresponsabili? Pe poporul slab, incapabil să supraviețuiască in diaspora? Aș putea eu oare măcar să... să mă păstrez pe mine? Pe de altă parte: este nevoie să mă păstrez pe mine? Cui ii foloseste dacă copilul lui e diferit/deviant, sau devine moștenitorul/păstrătorul unei istorii triste. Sau să plece de aici? Atunci ce caut eu acolo? Poți rămâne aici Maghiar? Nu poți. Care e exemplul bun? Cum au putut Cehii de aici din munți să supraviețuiască ca și Cehi atât regimurilor maghiare cât si regimurilor române? Prin cosangvinizare. Sunt mai fericiți că au supraviețuit? Nu acela e fericit care primeste mântuire întru Hristos?

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Deja la Oroșva. Biserica catolică din beton. Din anii ’70, edificiu curajos și urât. La intrare placă trilingvă despre Capela Coroanei, adică atracția principală a vechii orșove. Atractia principală a ciudatei biserici de acum este fresca. Regăsim aici pe Lenin, John Lennon si perechea româno-maghiară de actori vedetă din vremurile ceaușiste, Florin Piersic si Széles Anna.

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Lângă trecerea de frontieră de la hidrocentrala Porțile de Fier s-au înșirat 20-25 de pale imense de turbină. Sunt uriașe. Nici nu aș fi putut să îmi închipui niște obiecte atât de mari din fier plin. Am bătut în ele, nu aveau nici un sunet. Nebunie, e plin câmpul de ele.

Golful de la Orșova nu va fi mereu golf. Odată vor reapărea pomii si stâlpii conservați în negru, pilonii de pod și stivele de piatră. Și tu știi ca așa va fi, și eu o știu.

Doar nivelul natural al apei Dunării este cel real, cel care s-a creeat și dezvoltat in timp. Ce vedem acum și ce citim acum ca fiind realitate este doar imaginația omului. Vis.

Tradus de A. Gyulai

Cartea:

Balázs Szálinger: Al-Dunai Álom, Editura Magvető 2020. Budapest 

Qualifying round of the "Danubian Island of the year 2020" voting

IN HUNGARIAN

Time has come again to cast your vote for the Danubian Island of the Year. This will be the eight year we start this contest. As a tradition our readers can nominate their favourite islands, and then it is upon them which two Danubian Island will qualify for the finals. As usual there are 3 islands in the final, the 3rd one is nominated by the Donauinseln blog. The qualifying round ends on the 12th October 2020. On the next day we start the finals which ends on the last day of 2020.

Danubian Island of the year 2020. (photo: Ildikó Szabó | Csodálatos Magyarország)

In 2020 there are eight nominees, all of them are from the Hungarian section of the Danube. Ranging geographically from Zebegény to Ráckeve the regulated Soroksári Danube is a bit overrepresented. We have heavily urbanised (Népsziget), holiday and natural Danubian islands (Gödi and Zebegényi) as well. 

The two islands with the most votes will qualify to the finals. You will be notified about the winner in the first post of 2021. Here are the nominees in alphabetical order:

bike tracks

Versunkene Kindheit, Ada Kaleh

IN HUNGARIAN

One of the blog's most often translated article started when I wrote an email to Adele Kehl-Geafer—who was an inhabitant of Ada Kaleh, before it submerged—to write about her childhood on the island. Later this Hungarian language article was translated into German and Romanian.   

This article made it to the largest Hungarian news site, Index, they later approached me if I can arrange a video interview with Adele. The interview with the painter, who lives in Switzerland now, took place in Budapest with the Margaret Island as a background. I had no other task in this besides arranging the meeting and helping to correct the narration, but it was still a pleasure to be involved. The below Hungarian language video has been published in May 2015, now the narration is also available in German and Romanian language: 

Versunkene Kindheit

Seit meiner Kindheit war diese Insel eine neuzeitliche Atlantis für mich. Kaum aus dem Boot gestiegen und Inselboden unter den Füssen erwischt uns ein Zauber, was es aber war, wusste niemand.
Narrator: Ade Kaleh war eine kleine Insel in Rumänien unweit von Orsova. Zwischen den 60-er und 70-er Jahren wurde das Eiserne Tor I für die Wasserkraft gebaut.
Damit fiel diese Insel den Fluten zum Opfer. Adele Kehl hat ihren Künstlernamen von dieser Insel abgeleitet. Sie hatte einen grossen Teil ihrer Kindheit an diesem besonderen Ort in der Donau verbracht.
Ich bin in einer Zeit geboren, wo mir die Insel das Gefühl vermittelte von Harmonie Frieden und Liebe. Auch unter Hunger hätte man dort nie gelitten denn die vielen Feigenbäumen und andere Früchte liessen uns immer satt werden. Auch frieren hätte man nie müssen, denn die riesige Kasamatten Anlage hätte genug Schutz geboten, denn durch die dicken Wände war es dort nie zu heiss und nie zu kalt. Auf dieser Insel lebten die verschiedensten Konfessionen ohne Probleme miteinander, als eine grosse Familie. Der Inselschutzheilige Miskin baba sorgte für Ordnung. Der Miskin baba sollte eigentlich ein Usbekischer Sultan sein, doch hatte er den Traum, dass seine Aufgabe es ist, für die Inselbewohner zu sorgen und zu lehren. War etwas ungerechtes geschehen so ging man zum Grab von Miskin baba und im Traum erschien dann die Lösung. Er lehrte auch in gleicher Weise die Leute ihre Gesundheit zu behalten. So sorgte er nicht nur für Ordnung über sein Leben hinaus, sondern war auch immer ein guter Ratgeber.
FILM. Sehen sie dort Herr Fabula, dort ist eine kleine Insel.
Narrator: Auf der Insel Ada Kaleh hatten ein paar 100 Leute gewohnt. Der grösste Teil von ihnen waren Türken, aber auch Deutsche, Rumänen und Ungaren bewohnten diese Insel. Der Schriftsteller Jókai Mór wurde nach der Legende von dieser Niemandsinsel für sein Roman „goldener Mensch“ inspiriert. Der Film wurde auf einer Nachbarinsel gedreht. Die grösste Inspiration war diese Türkische Vorherrschaft. Es wurde hauptsächlich Türkisch gesprochen, doch bereits in meiner Kindheit mischte sich rumänisch dazu. So sprachen wir Kinder ein wildes Durcheinander von Türkisch und Rumänisch. Wir konnten uns praktisch selbst versorgen, bis auf ein paar wenige Ausnahmen. Schweinefleisch war nicht erlaubt.
Es wurde zwar einmal versucht Schweinefleisch mit dem Schiff zu bringen doch sie wurden ihre Ladung nicht los. Die Hauptbeschäftigungen waren die Fischerei und der Fährdienst, eine kleine Tabakfabrik und Konfektionsfabrik. Die türkischen Spezialitäten Sudjuk und Lokum aber auch andere Süssigkeiten wurden auf der Insel gefertigt. Sogar ein Kino besass die Insel.
Narrator: Es waren auch einige Leute auf die Insel gekommen, damit sie von Rumänien nach Jugoslawien schwimmend durch die Donau flüchten konnten. Die meisten Touristen kam aber aus lauter Neugierde auf die Insel.
Aufregend war für uns Kinder immer wieder, wenn Schiffe ankamen aus Österreich oder Ungarn. Kaum hörten wir die Schiffssirene rannte wir zum Zentrum, wo bereits die ersten Passagiere die Strassen in Beschlag nahmen. Jeder der die Insel besuchte, wusste zu wissen, dass hier eine andere Welt begann. Es war eine besondere Stimmung, Luft und Schwingungen, als ob wir in eine andere Dimension eintraten. Mein ganzes Leben dachte ich darüber nach, was da nur gewesen sein konnte. Es war einfach anders, und erklären lässt sich das nicht. Als ich etwa 10 Jahre alt war, sprach man bereits darüber, dass an diesem Ort, in etwa 7 Jahren ein Wasserkraftwerk gebaut wird. Man konnte zwar schon auf der Uferseite die ersten Bauten sehen doch für uns Kinder war das wie, man redet wohl darüber, aber das wird sicher nie realisiert.
Narrator: 1964 begann man mit dem Bau des Wasserkraftwerkes Eisernen Tor I.
Man wusste auch, wenn die riesigen Schleusen fertig gestellt sind, wird sich der Pegelstand der Donau heben. Bis dann müssen auch die Leute evakuiert und die Gebäude der Insel abgerissen sein, denn dann wird die Insel überflutet sein.
1967 mit etwa 16/17 jährig, war ich das letzte Mal auf der Insel. Viele meiner Freundinnen und Spielkameraden fehlten. Auch viele Familien waren schon weg. Es wurden auch schon viele Häuser abgerissen. Meine Grossmutter wollte aber im Hause bleiben. Sie erzählte mir später, erst als die Panzern zum Abriss vor der Türe
standen und man ihr sagte: „Frau Geafer sie müssen weg hier“ erst dann fügte sie sich und verliess sie das Haus.
Die Insel Ade Kaleh und die Ortschaft Orsova wurden dem Wasserkraftwerk geopfert. Viele andere Ortschaften wurden auch geopfert. Doch würde die Insel mit
ihrer ober- und unterirdischen Kasamaten Anlage und ihrer Geschichte, heute zu den Weltkulturerben zählen. Den Leuten wurde damals viel versprochen. Sie bräuchten nie mehr Strom zu zahlen und sie würden Entschädigt.
Narrator: Vom Versprochenen wurde nicht viel eingehalten. Die Leute sind umgesiedelt in alle Windrichtungen aber auch in andere Länder. 1971 hat die Donau die Insel mit Wasser zugedeckt.
Bei der Überflutung schauten sicher viele Leute zu. Ich bin sicher dass sie mit Tränen in den Augen zugeschaut haben. Viele Leute haben auch keine Heimat mehr gefunden. Auch mich befällt immer eine Traurigkeit, wenn ich von der Insel erzähle.
Ich habe meinen Kindern viel über die Insel erzählt. Ich habe ihnen so viel erzählt dass sie praktisch jeden Stein kennen. Nun heute geht es mir gut und ich habe mein Schicksal akzeptiert. Was mir jedoch immer noch fehlt ist meine Heimat.

Mi s-a scufundat copilaria, si cu ea intreaga insula

Este mica noastra Atlantida – cred – Atlantida contemporana. Paseai din barca pe mal, si acolo erai atinsa de o magie. Ce era – nimeni nu putea sa spuna.
Narator: Ada Kaleh a fost o mica insula pe teritoriul Romaniei de azi, in apropiere de Orsova, inundata la cumpana dintre anii ’60-’70 odata cu construirea hidrocentralei Portile de Fier I. de pe Dunare.
Adele Kehl, care si-a insusit numele artistic inspirandu-se din toponimia insulei, si-a trait copilaria aici si sustine ca a fost cel mai dosebit loc de pe cursul fluviului.
Eu m-am nascut in acea perioada a insulei pe care as denumi-o a armoniei, a pacii si a dragostei. Aveam atatia smochini incat, la drept vorbind, nimeni nu putea sa moara de foame. Fructe aveam. Nu putea nimeni sa inghete de frig, pentru ca se putea locui in cazemate. Aveau pereti atat de grosi incat acolo niciodata nu era frig, nu era cald. Era numai bine. Nu era nici o problema religia practicata. Era ca o familie foarte mare si cred ca pot spune ca Miskin Baba, sfantul insulei, era autoritatea suprema. Bunaoara niciodata nu aveam probleme. Miskin Baba a venit pe insula in urma unei viziuni conform careia locul Lui era aici pe insula si nu in rolul de sultan in Buhara. Ii invata pe oameni cum sa se vindece, ii si vindeca, uneori prin minuni. Daca cineva dorea sa se faca dreptate, ori il macina ceva, se ducea la Miskin Baba si i se arata in vis solutia.
Era ordine si pentru ca se stia ca adevarul va iesi la iveala. Va fi visat si gata.
FILM (frgm.): Dle. Fabula – in indepartare o mica insula!
Pe Ada Kaleh locuiau cateva sute de oameni, aproape toti Turci, printre ei cativa Gemani, Romani si Maghiari. Conform legendei „Insula nimanui”, (magh. Senki Szigete) din romanul „Omul de aur” (magh. Aranyember) de Jókai Mór, a fost inspirata de aceasta insula.
Turnarea filmului a avut loc pe o insula invecinata dar cred ca Jókai a fost inspirat in orice caz de aceasta linie turceasca de pe Ada Kaleh. Aproape toata lumea vorbea turceste si in vremea aia deja vorbeam si in romaneste. Eu deja m-am nascut in acest multilingvism. Copii fiind, cand ne jucam, in general vorbeam turceste dar amestecam limba cand cu una cand cu alta. Ne descurcam in general pe cont propriu. Produsele ca painea, graul erau aduse din afara insulei. Carnea de porc nu era permisa pe insula. S-a incercat odata dar au fost goniti.
Ocupatia de baza era pescuitul, calauzitul cu barca, am avut si o mica fabrica de tutun, o fabricuta de confectii, dar erau intreprinderi mici. Se facea rahat, sugiuc, dulciuri din aceasta categorie si era cinematograful.
narator: Erau oameni care veneau pe insula ca sa evadeze inot, printre curenti, in Iugoslavia. Bineinteles multi turisti veneau doar din curiozitate.
Veneau vapoare din Austria, din Ungaria. Cand auzeam sirenele navelor cu aburi alergam in centru si ii asteptam pe vizitatorii care deja soseau dinspre mal. Ada Kaleh avea un mister pe care il simtea oricine ajungea acolo. Adica, parca aerul avea o vibratie aparte, totul era diferit. Uitai complet de lume, de toata asa zisa civilizatie si era o alta vibratie. Totul era altfel. Era un fapt interesant. Cand am devenit mai mare ma gandeam des la asta. Ce o fi fost? Parca am fi pasit intr-o cu toltul alta dimensiune.
Aveam vre-o zece ani cand am aflat ca se planuieste constructia unei hidroecntrale. Stiam ca in sapte ani va disparea insula. Era un fel de – pentru noi copiii mai ales – ca da, se
discuta despre asta, dar nu am crezut ca se va si infaptui. Se vedeau deja pe malul celalalt ecluzele in constructie.
in ’64 a inceput constructia hidrocentralei Portile de Fier I. Autoritatile stiau ca din cauza barajului va creste nivelul Dunarii si au inceput sa mute locuitorii de pe Ada Kaleh si sa le demoleze cladirile.
Aveam 16-17 ani cand am fost ultima data pe insula – in anul ’67 – si deja se incepuse distrugerea. Disparusera cele mai bune prietene si tovarasele de joaca. Incepusera sa lipseasca din oameni. Am vazut si mi-a povestit bunica ca la inceput refuza sa isi paraseasca casa, apoi au venit sa o constranga... frau, djaffer, doamna... nu mai stiu. In final a trebuit sa se supuna ca deja sosisera tancurile.
Au sacrificat aceasta insula si au sacrificat si vechea Orsova. Desigur au fost si alte locuri sacrificate din motive asemanatoare, dar aceasta insula era de patrimoniu mondial. Aceasta fortareata, acest sistem de aparare, era deosebit si la suprafata si sub nivelul suprafetei. Promisiuni au fost multe. Cei care provin de pe insula nu vor fi obligati sa plateasca curent toata viata lor. Primesc despagubiri totale. S-au promis o serie de lucruri fantastice...
Din promisiuni nu s-au realizat prea multe. Locuitorii insulei s-au mutat in diferite tari. In final, in 1971, Dunarea a acoperit incet insula.

Dissolving: The Danube Bend at Béda

IN HUNGARIAN

Planum exhibens Sectionem Fluvii Danubii
a Sylvula Possessionis Baar usque Sylvam Gerétz Hát dictam...
(source: maps.hungaricana.com)

It took several steps and some river regulation engineering to move the Béda forest from the Danube-Tisza Intefluve to Transdanubia. The plan of the "moving" appears on a map from 1803, with all the planned meander cuts to achieve a shortened channel. However, the Danube thought differently than the engineers. Even today, the Danube is not following in the straight ditches dug on the course of the lines; for example a forest is hiding one dry ditch just east of Kölked, southern Hungary. Elsewhere, the Danube did not exactly follow the planned new course; instead of a shortened channel the Danube formed a new river bend, the Inner-Béda inside the Béda forest: while the 1803 course became the Outer-Béda oxbow. The Inner-Béda later also became an oxbow after successfully implementing another straight cut.

Just south from the Béda, the Bok meander and peninsula was also transferred to the Transdanubian side with the same method. The neck at Verpolya has been cut and the onetime peninsula became accessible from Erdőfű. Somewhat bigger territory switched sides than it was planned in 1803 and the river also refused to follow its new course, leaving some room for meandering. 

The previously continuously meandering Outer-Béda froze motionless, at the exact time it was cut off from the main river bed. After 200 years its width narrowed but the  course remains the same. 

Qualifying round of the "Danubian Island of the year 2019" voting

IN HUNGARIAN

Time has come again to cast your vote for the Danubian Island of the Year. This will be the seventh year we start this contest. As a tradition our readers can nominate their favourite islands, and then it is upon them which two Danubian Island will qualify for the finals. As usual there are 3 islands in the final, the 3rd one is nominated by the Donauinseln blog. The qualifying round ends on the 12th October 2019. On the next day we start the finals which ends on the last day of 2019.

This year you can select from a list of eleven islands, most are located within Hungary, with one exception from Slovakia. The latter is the westernmost island is, located near Mužla, but named after the opposite settlement, the Hungarian Nyergesújfalu. The southernmost island is located near Baja. the smallest is the home of two trees, but bears the name "Egyfás", "the island with one tree". And there is an island in Szentendre which no longer exists; it has become a part of the town for about two hundred years ago.

The two islands with the most votes will qualify to the finals. You will be notified about the winner in the first post of 2020. Here are the nominees in alphabetical order:

survey services

The Danube 50 years ago I. - From the Donauquelle to Budapest

In Hungarian

In 1969, exactly half century ago the Slovakian Rudolf Fabry published "Dunaj, Donau, Duna" (the Danube), a book full of archive pictures of the Danube from the source in Germany to the Black Sea. This is a kind of a time travel through long lost countries. It's been only two generations and the Danube shows a whole different face. Staring at these pictures we can observe the familiar, but yet significantly changed Danubian landscape. Sometimes a bridge is missing, or a forest or the houses. We encounter unfamiliar cars, long-lost islands emerge from the river. This is the first part of our selection, a trip from the source down to Budapest. 

Swabian boy sits next to the source of the Breg — a headwater of the Danube —
near Furtwangen/Baden Württemberg.

These pictures were not necessarily taken in 1969, some of the might have been taken earlier. The authors are named in the book — mostly Slovakians, Romanians, Bulgarians and Austrians — but for example the Hungarian ones are taken from the country's news agency's archives. You might learn of the Danubian countries from short descriptions, showing an interesting asymmetry. There were only 8 countries on the Danube; Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. The description of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union  weights the same length as the bigger Danubian countries. Some of these places were already covered on the Danubian Islands blog (mostly in Hungarian language), please click on the links for more details!

The pavilion of the source of the Danube in Donaueschingen was built in 1910. Inscription:
DANUVII CAPVT EXORNAVIT GUILELMUS II. FRIDERICI
FILIUS GUILEMI MAGNI NEPOS, IMPEATOR GERMANORUM.
It looked like this earlier

The Danube still looks like a creek, meandering between limestone cliffs, Hausen im Tal neighborhood.

Outlook on Passau from the Veste Oberhaus fort, which was built on the right banks of the black-watered Ilz river.

The "Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein" on the border of Germany and Austria was built between 1952 and 1956.
Underneath the dam there is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk. 

Detail of the splendid Schlögener Schlinge in Upper Austria.

Building of the river regulation works underneath the castle of Grein.
A boat harbour has been built where the dredging ship stands.

Wachau. Old cars in Dürnstein.

Ruins of Greifenstein in the Wiener Wald.

A view on Vienna from the Kahlenberg. We see only one Danube with a wide floodplain.
The long Donauinsel is not even a plan yet.

The mouth of the Morava river next to the Devin castle. 

Bratislava in 1969 without the iconic new Danube bridge.
The Slovnaft refinery is operational in the background, and there are no 10 storey block buildings in Petržalka/Engerau.

Idyllic scenery on the Danube.

Aerial view on Győr. And on the Mosoni Danube with the disappeared Kecske (Goat)-zátony.
This picture was taken before 1969, because that time the island did not exist. 

The island of Helemba seen from the hills of Burda. Since then the riverine forest swallowed the whole island.
This picture captured the Little Helemba island (right), which has been fallen victim to the river regulation works. 

The barren lands of  Nagymaros and the castle of Visegrád before the reconstruction. 

The Luppa island at Budakalász and the Buda hills in the background.
Since then the Megyeri bridge was built next to the island which provides constant noise for the weekend houses. 

We say farewell at Budapest's barren Gellért hill and the reconstructed Elisabeth bridge. 

Link to the second part.