Hungarians in Kyiv. Leading figures of history of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations from 9th century to present day

Abstract

In this review, the author sheds light on the content and concept of the publication entitled Hungarians in Kyiv. Historical Chapters of Hungarian-Ukrainian Relations from the 9th Century to the Present by Stefan-Arpad Madiar. In 2005, in the course of an international scientific conference ‘Ukraine-Hungary: Common Past and Present’ at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine, the main issues and challenges of the history of relations between Ukraine and Hungary were discussed. The participants of the conference concluded an agreement on the establishment of the commission of historians to strengthen scientific cooperation. The review notes that Ukrainian and Hungarian historians should carry on a permanent dialogue on disputable matters related to the historical past of the two nations for obtaining objective knowledge about the relations between Hungary and Ukraine at different historical junctures. The book Hungarians in Kyiv. Historical Chapters of Hungarian-Ukrainian Relations from the 9th Century to the Present is considered as a joint artistic achievement of cooperation among Ukrainian and Hungarian historians. The review also mentions certain aspects of the past relations between Ukraine and Hungary, and the life of Stefan-Arpad Madiar, the main initiator, author, and layout director of the publication. The author stresses that it was Stefan-Arpad Madiar who managed to work on the book structure, select original illustrations, exclusive documentary materials, engage famous scholars and historians to the creation of the book, etc. The book consists of 23 problematically and chronologically arranged chapters and offers a glimpse of unique periods in the history of relations between Ukraine and Hungary, activities of Hungarian diplomatic missions in Kyiv and Ukrainian missions in Budapest, and contains information about Hungarian prisoners of war in post-war Kyiv based on memoirs and archival documents. The author is fully confident that this book will give its readers new knowledge about the history of relations between Ukraine and Hungary, thus facilitating the sense of a more profound understanding between the two nations. Key words: relations between Ukraine and Hungary, scientific conference, publication Hungarians in Kyiv. Historical Chapters of Hungarian-Ukrainian Relations from the 9th Century to the Present, Embassy of Hungary in Ukraine, cooperation between Ukraine and Hungary.