The Hungarians in Ukraine ( hu, Ukrajnai magyarok, uk, угорці в Україні,
tr. ''uhortsi v Ukraini'') number 156,600 people according to the
Ukrainian census of 2001 and are the third largest national minority in the country.
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
are largely concentrated in the
Zakarpattia Oblast
The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...
(particularly in
Berehove Raion
Berehove Raion ( uk, Берегівський район, hu, Beregszászi járás) is a district (raion) in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in the westernmost corner of Ukraine. The administrative center is Berehove. For many centuries the territ ...
and
Berehove
Berehove ( uk, Берегове; hu, Beregszász) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine, near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Serving as the administrativ ...
city), where they form the largest minority at 12.1% of the population (12.7% when native language is concerned). In the area along the Ukrainian border with
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
(the
Tisza River
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
valley), Hungarians form the majority.
Concentrated primarily in Zakarpattia (Trans-Carpathian), in Hungarian those Hungarians are referred to as ''Kárpátaljai magyarok'' (Transcarpathian Hungarians), while Zakarpattia is referred to as Kárpátalja.
History
Today's territory of Zakarpattia was part of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
since its foundation in the year 1000. From 1867, Hungary was a constituent part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, until the latter's demise at the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The Zakarpattia region was briefly part of the short-lived
West Ukrainian National Republic
The West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) or West Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR), known for part of its existence as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic, was a short-lived polity that controlled most of Eastern Gali ...
in 1918 and occupied by the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
at end of that year. It was later recaptured by Hungary in the summer of 1919. After the defeat of the remaining Hungarian armies in 1919, the Paris Peace Conference concluded the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
that awarded Zakarpattia to the newly formed
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
as the
Subcarpathian Rus
Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...
, one of the four main regions of Czechoslovakia, the others being
Bohemia,
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.
During the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the southern, Hungarian majority part of the region was awarded to Hungary under the
First Vienna Award
The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, which ...
in 1938. The remaining portion was constituted as an autonomous region of the short-lived
Second Czechoslovak Republic. After the occupation of Bohemia and Moravia on March 15, 1939 and the Slovak declaration of an
independent state
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
, Ruthenia declared its independence (
Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine
Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine ( uk, Карпа́тська Украї́на, Karpats’ka Ukrayina, ) was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic, created in December 1938 by renaming Subcarpathian Rus' whose ful ...
) but it was immediately occupied and later annexed by Hungary.
When the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
crossed the pre-1938 borders of Czechoslovakia in 1944, Soviet authorities refused to allow Czechoslovak governmental officials to resume control over the region, and in June 1945, President
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...
formally signed a treaty ceding the area to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. It was then incorporated into the
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, it became part of independent Ukraine as the Zakarpattia Oblast.
Situation of Hungarians in independent Ukraine
350px, Percentage of Hungarians who called their native language Hungarian in Zakarpattia Oblast by the 2001 census
Hungary was the first country to recognize Ukraine's independence.
Árpád Göncz
Árpád Göncz (; 10 February 1922 – 6 October 2015) was a Hungarian writer, translator, agronomist, and liberal politician who served as President of Hungary from 2 May 1990 to 4 August 2000. Göncz played a role in the Hungarian Revolution ...
, who was
president of Hungary
The president of Hungary, officially the president of the republicUnder the Constitution of Hungary, Basic Law, adopted in 2011, the official name of the state is simply Hungary; Before, the state was called the Republic of Hungary. However, t ...
at the time, was invited to visit the region, and a joint declaration, followed in December 1991 by a state treaty, acknowledged that the ethnic Hungarian minority had collective as well as individual rights. The treaty provided for the preservation of their ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities; education at all levels in the mother tongue; and the ethnic Hungarians' participation in local authorities charged with minority affairs.
[Kovrig, Bennett (2000) ‘Partitioned nation: Hungarian minorities in Central Europe’, in: Michael Mandelbaum (ed.), ''The new European Diasporas: national minorities and conflict in Eastern Europe'', New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, pp. 19-80.]
It is quite common among the Hungarian minority in Ukraine holds besides
Ukrainian citizenship
Ukrainian nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Ukraine. The primary law governing these requirements is the law "On Citizenship of Ukraine", which came into force on 1 March 2001.
Any person born to a Uk ...
also
Hungarian citizenship, although currently Ukrainian law does not recognise
dual citizenship
Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...
.
In the
2014 European Parliament election in Hungary
An election of Members of the European Parliament from Hungary to the European Parliament was held on 25 May 2014.
With the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, Hungary held 22 seats in the European Parliament. However, because Croatia joined the EU ...
Andrea Bocskor who lives in Ukraine (in the city
Berehove
Berehove ( uk, Берегове; hu, Beregszász) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine, near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Serving as the administrativ ...
) was elected into the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
(for
Fidesz
Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; hu, Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán.
It was formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young ...
).
Hence, Bocskor, who is ethnically Hungarian and a citizen of Hungary,
became the first elected member of the European Parliament who additionally holds a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
passport.
[A citizen of Ukraine has become a Member of European Parliament]
Ukrayinska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukrai ...
(3 July 2014)
Since 2017, the Hungary–Ukraine relations rapidly deteriorated over the issue of Ukraine's
education law
Education policy consists of the principles and policy decisions that influence the field of education, as well as the collection of laws and rules that govern the operation of education systems. Education governance may be shared between the local ...
. Ukraine's 2017 education law makes
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
the required language of primary education in state schools from grade five. László Brenzovics, the only ethnic Hungarian in the
Supreme Council of Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
, said that "There is a sort of purposeful policy, which besides narrowing the rights of all minorities, tries to portray the Hungarian minority as the enemy in Ukrainian public opinion." The situation since then has been ongoing in problem, as Hungary continues to block Ukraine's attempt to integrate within the EU and NATO over disputes on minority rights.
Minority rights
![Beregszasz city limit sign rovas script](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Beregszasz_city_limit_sign_rovas_script.JPG)
Residents in seven of
Mukachivskyi Raion
Mukachevo Raion ( uk, Мукачівський район, hu, Munkácsi járás) is a raion (district) of Zakarpattia Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Mukachevo is the administrative center of the raion. Its population is
On 18 July 2020, as part ...
's villages have the option to learn the Hungarian language in a school or home school environment. The first Hungarian College in Ukraine is in Berehovo, the
II. Rákoczi Ferenc College. Currently there are 71 Hungarian Schools in Ukraine with 16,000 enrolled students.
Organisation
![KMKS Party of Hungarians of Ukraine Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/KMKS_Party_of_Hungarians_of_Ukraine_Logo.png)
The
Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine (UMDSZ) is the only nationally registered Hungarian organization. It was established in October 1991 by the
Hungarian Cultural Federation in Transcarpathia (KMKSZ, which has suspended its membership since 1995), the Cultural Federation of Hungarians in
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, and the Association of Hungarians in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
. The Hungarian Cultural Federation in Transcarpathia is associated with the political party
KMKSZ – Hungarian Party in Ukraine, which was established in February 2005. In March 2005, the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice also registered the
Hungarian Democratic Party in Ukraine upon the initiative of the UMDSZ.
Also Zoltán Lengyel was elected as mayor of
Mukachevo
Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...
after the election on 1 December 2008. UMDSZ also won city municipalities of
Berehove
Berehove ( uk, Берегове; hu, Beregszász) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine, near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Serving as the administrativ ...
,
Vynohradiv
Vynohradiv ( uk, Виноградів, hu, Nagyszőlős, ro, Seleușu Mare, sk, Vinohradov) is a city in western Ukraine, in Zakarpattia Oblast. It was the center of Vynohradiv Raion and since 2020 it has been incorporated into Berehove Raio ...
and
Tiachiv
Tiachiv ( uk, Тячів; rue, Тячово; hu, Técső; yi, טעטש, translit=Tetch) is a city located on the Tisza River in Zakarpattia Oblast (region) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Tiachiv Raion (district). Today ...
in this election.
Notable personalities
*
Yozhef Sabo
Yozhef Yozhefovich Sabo ( uk, Йожеф Йожефович Сабо; hu, Szabó József; born 29 February 1940) is a former Ukrainian football player and football manager. He is of Hungarian background. He is baptized as a Greek-Catholic. ...
(József Szabó)
*
Vasyl Rats
Vasyl Karlovych Rats ( uk, Василь Карлович Рац; hu, Rácz László) (born 25 March 1961) is a Ukrainian former football midfielder. He participated in two World Cups with the Soviet Union national football team.
Club career ...
(László Rácz)
*
Ishtvan Sekech (István Szekecs)
*
Yuriy Habovda
*
Ernest Kesler (Ernő Keszler)
*
Robert Hehedosh
Demographics
![Zakarpatska2001HungarianLanguage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Zakarpatska2001HungarianLanguage.PNG)
The following data is according to the Ukrainian census of 2001.
Cultural heritage
Hungarian cultural heritage in Ukraine includes medieval castles:
File:Uzhhorod-castle-hill-view.jpg, Uzhhorod Castle
Uzhhorod Castle ( uk, Ужгородський замок; hu, Ungvári vár) is an extensive citadel on a hill in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. It was built in a mixture of architectural styles and materials between the 13th and 18th centuries and figured ...
(Ungvári vár)
File:Мукачевський замок "Паланок".jpg, Palanok Castle
The Palanok Castle or Mukachevo Castle ( uk, Замок "Паланок", Zamok "Palanok"; hu, Munkács vára or ; german: Plankenburg) is a historic castle in the city of Mukacheve in the western Ukrainian oblast (province) of Zakarpattia. ...
, Mukachevo
Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...
(Munkács vára)
File:Велич руїн.jpg, Khust Castle
The Khust Castle ( uk, Хустський замок; hu, Huszti vár) is an abandoned castle located in the city of Khust in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine.
The former Hungarian castle lays on a 150-meter high mountain near th ...
(Huszti vár)
File:Zak 290.jpg, Vynohradiv Castle (Nagyszőlősi Kankó-vár)
See also
*
Demographics of Ukraine
*
Hungary–Ukraine relations
*
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church
References
External links
Website of the Cultural Federation of Hungarians in Subcarpathia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungarians In Ukraine
Ethnic groups in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...