The Royal Hungarian Ludovica Defense Academy ( hu, Magyar Királyi Honvéd Ludovika Akadémia, la, Ludoviceum, german: Ludovika-Akademie), shortened to Ludovica or Ludovica Academy, was Hungary's officer cadets training institute prior to 1945. The main edifice of the Academy was erected in 1836 at the ''Ludovica Garden'', in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

's centrally located VIIIth district. The building was designed by Mihály Pollack in the classical style.

Mission

The academy combined the functions of an advanced Military High School level preparatory school, a military academy on the level of

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

at West Point, and an advanced college to facilitate assignments as junior staff officers to the Austro-Hungarian General Staff. The high school provided volunteers of pre-conscription age, between the ages of 14 and 17, the opportunity to join the Royal Hungarian Honvéd as cadets or

junior officers Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers. The ...

, depending on academic excellence. Ninety students per year were accepted where, 34 students were financed by private foundation grants, 10 students received free tuition provided by the Government, 23 students paid the full annual tuition of 600 Forints, and 23 paid half tuition per annum. The officers training course required four years to complete, and the interdependence of functions fulfilled several needs of the Defense Forces. It provided a well trained officer corps, a training ground for instructional opportunities for officers, and finally, advanced military training to match the academic level of the Theresian Military Academy in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

, Austria. The parallel curriculum, and the matched level of quality, between the two schools guaranteed that the majority of officers of the Hungarian Defense forces were selected from the Ludovica Academy. From the beginning of the final school year, some subjects, of both practical and theoretical nature, were taught in German, and qualified graduates received dual commissions as officers in both forces. This was especially important for the combined

Hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

Corps, because this arrangement provided for, in a cycle of 2 to 3 years, a fresh assignment of Hungarian-speaking officers to command Hungarian-speaking troops.

History

The academy was established at the 1808 National Assembly session. It was named after

Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, also known as Maria Ludovika of Modena, (german: Maria Ludovika Beatrix von Modena; 14 December 1787 – 7 April 1816) was the daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1754–1806) and his wife, Maria Beatri ...

the Royal Princess and the third wife of Ferenc I King of Hungary, who contributed Forint for its upkeep from the funds of the

Honours list Crown Honours Lists are lists of honours conferred upon citizens of the Commonwealth realms. The awards are presented by or in the name of the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III, or his vice-regal representative. New Year Honours Ho ...

proclaimed at the

Coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

. With additional public donations and patriotic contributions like that of Count János Buttler, who personally contributed Forints, a substantial amount was collected, and the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

was laid by

Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary Archduke Joseph Anton Johann of Austria (, , 9 March 1776 – 13 January 1847) was the 103rd and penultimate palatine of Hungary who served for more than 50 years from 1796 to 1847, after he had been appointed governor in 1795. The latter half ...

(Hungarian: ''József nádor'') in 1831. The government did everything in its power to prevent the Academy's establishment, and the contributed funds were diverted to other projects. The National Assembly of 1832-36 forbade the language of instruction to be in Hungarian, and this policy was re-introduced, and adhered to, after the Revolt of 1848. Its existence, reorganization and regulation was enshrined in the 1872 XVI article of law to function as the Royal Hungarian Ludovica Military Defense Academy, and it opened its doors on November 21, 1872. Academic accreditation, with the required level of curriculum, was introduced in 1897 during the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Baron

Dezső Bánffy Baron Dezső Bánffy de Losonc (28 October 184324 May 1911) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1895 to 1899. Biography The son of Baron Dániel Bánffy and Anna Gyárfás, Dezső Bánffy was born in Kolo ...

. Several well-known military officers served as instructors at the Academy, with General

Henrik Werth Henrik Werth (26 December 1881 – 28 May 1952) was a Hungarian military officer, who served as Chief of Army Staff during World War II. Biography Henrik Werth was born in Rezsőháza, Hungary ( Knićanin, today in Serbia), on 26 December ...

, who, as of 1926, served as the commanding officer. After

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

regime left the Academy building, like the

Buda Castle Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...

, in their damaged condition. The horse riding school building housed the Alfa cinema, which, in the early 1990s, was completely destroyed by fire. The thoroughly damaged main building was used by the faculty of Natural Sciences of

Eötvös Loránd University Eötvös Loránd University ( hu, Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, ELTE) is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in Hung ...

. Today, the beautifully rebuilt southern wing houses the ''Raoul Wallenberg School of Social Sciences''http://www.wallenberg.sulinet.hu/ Raoul Wallenberg School of Social Sciences website in Hungarian And, the greatly expanded underground areas, linking the renovated covered riding school and the partially rebuilt main building, provide home for The Hungarian Museum of Natural History. As the heir of Ludovica Academy, on May 15, 2009, the Miklos Zrinyi National Defense University celebrated the first 100 days of the merged institutes for advanced military curricula. The celebrations were held in the Orzcy Garden located behind the main edifice and the programs were attended by the Army's choir with the participation of the citizens of the

Józsefváros Józsefváros (german: Josefstadt) is the 8th district of Budapest, Hungary. It is the part of the city centre in the wider sense as one of the 18–19th century older suburbs, close to Belváros. Location The main streets in Józsefváros ...

district.

Notable graduates

* Kamill Aggházy (1882–1954) military officer, military historian. * Pál Almásy (1818–1882) military officer, military engineer. *

Tibor Berczelly Tibor Berczelly (3 January 1912 – 15 October 1990) was a Hungarian sabre and foil fencer. He won three gold and two bronze medals at three Olympic Games. References External links * 1912 births 1990 deaths Hungarian male foil ...

(1912–1990) fencer, sport target shooter. *

Béla H. Bánáthy Béla Heinrich Bánáthy ( hu, Bánáthy Béla; December 1, 1919 – September 4, 2003) was a Hungarian-American linguist, and Professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. He is known as founder of the White Stag Leadership Developm ...

, (1919–2003) military officer, educator, and systems scientist * Lajos Bánfalvy (1906-1944) military officer, military intelligent. * István Berkó (1880–1958) military officer, military historian. *

Miklós Bonczos Miklós Bonczos (Nagyszalonta, Hungary 16 September 1897 – Buenos Aires, Argentina 1 August 1971) was a Hungarian politician. * 1915: Graduated Ludovika military academy in 1915. * 1919: Awarded Vitéz order for distinguished services in ...

(1897–1971) politician, Minister of the Interior (1944). * Károly Csáky (1873–1945) military officer, Minister of Defense (1923–1929). * Béla Dálnoki Miklós (1890–1948) military officer, politician, Prime Minister of the temporary government (1944–1945). * Gyula Erdélyi (1892–1949) military officer, military historian. * Kamill Erdoss (1924–1962) folklorist, linguist. * Gábor Faragho (1890–1953) military officer, politician, Minister of Public Welfare (1944–1945). * Ferenc Fáy (1921–1981) poet. * Zoltán Franyó (1887–1978) writer, screenwriter, editor. * Loránd Fráter (1872–1930) lyricist. * Sándor Győrffy-Bengyel (1886–1942) military officer, politician, Minister of Public Welfare (1941–1942). *

Samu Hazai Baron Samu Hazai (german: Samuel Freiherr von Hazai; 26 December 1851 – 10 February 1942) was a Hungarian military officer and politician of Jewish origin, who served as Minister of Defence of Hungary between 1910 and 1917. Decorations and ...

(1851–1942) military officer, Minister of Defence (1910–1917). * Vilmos Hellebronth (1895–1971) military officer, politician. * Jenő Horváth (1852–1915) military officer, military historian, member of

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

. * Gyula Kádár (1898–1982) military officer. * Géza Káplány (1880–1952) librarian. *

Béla Király Dr. Béla Király (14 April 1912 – 4 July 2009) was a Hungarian army officer before, during, and after World War II. After the war, he was sentenced to life in prison under the Soviet-allied regime, but was later released. After his rele ...

(1912-2009) officer, historian, politician. * Lajos Kiss (1922–2003) linguist, Slav specialist, member of

. * Antal Kunder (1900–1968) military engineer, politician, Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce (1938–1939, 1944). * István Lágyi (1901–1978) cartographer. * Árpád Lajtos (1910–1986) military officer. * Géza Lakatos (1890–1967) military officer, politician, Prime Minister (1944). *

Pál Maléter Pál Maléter (4 September 1917 – 16 June 1958) was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in Sáros County, in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today Prešov ...

(1917–1958) military officer, politician, Minister of Defense (1956). * Antal Pálinkás-Pallavicini (1922–1957) military officer. * Denes Pataky (1916-1987) military officer, Five time Hungarian Figure Skating Champion. * Jeno Pilch (1872–1937) military historian, member of

. * Pál Prónay (1874–1946?) military officer, leader of the Prónay detachment. * Imre Radványi (1909–1984) military engineer. * Liviu Rebreanu (1885–1944), writer, Director of the

National Theatre Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest ( ro, Teatrul Naţional "Ion Luca Caragiale" București) is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Gra ...

(1928–1930 and 1940–1944). * Endre Rodriguez (1899–1975) film director. * Vilmos Rőder (1881–1969) military officer, Minister of Defense (1936–1938). *

Sándor Szurmay Vitéz Baron Sándor Szurmay de Uzsok (19 December 1860 – 26 February 1945) was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence for the Hungarian portion of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary between 1917 and 1 ...

(1860–1945) military officer, Minister of Defense (1917–1918). * Jenő Tombor (1880–1946) military officer, Minister of Defense (1945–1946). * Zoltán Tóth (1888–1958) historian, member of

References

Literature

Rada Tibor: The combined Histories of the Royal Hungarian Ludovica Military Academy and Her Sister Institutes (1830–1945), Gálos-Nyomdász Kft., Budapest, 1998. (Hungarian: ''A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Ludovika Akadémia. és a Testvérintézetek Összefoglalt Története (1830-1945), Gálos-Nyomdász Kft., Budapest, 1998.'')

External sources