Heldenkult und das kollektive Gedächtniss

Abstract

A total of twenty-six monuments were erected in Szeged in the interwar years and further five in its catchment area. They were paid for by individual donations, religious denominations, regiments, schools, associations (for example, the commemorative tablet to Heroic Firemen), or were commissioned by the city. Most were created from public contributions, or with the support of the municipality. At the unveiling ceremonies the speakers referred to the monuments as though they were altars where people could come to pray and gather strength. Because of their lasting nature the monuments would forever proclaim the heroism of the soldiers who took part in the First World War. Approaching the phenomenon from the angle of the civil-religion, collective memory, and places of remembrance, the author examines the subject in newspapers, denominational materials and the minutes of general assemblies in the interwar years. She selects as a particular example the Gate of Heroes (Szeged) that illustrates the predominant...