Condemned to slavery – The traveling exhibition of the House of Terror Museum has opened in the Wojtyla House

The historical retrospective began with a flute program by Anna Csuvár and Blanka Borsi, students of the Kodály school, and then, at the request of Pál Farkas, the program organizer of the Wojtyla Friendship Center, Councilor István Jánosi, local government representative, greeted the attendees, reminding the audience that the House of Terror is bringing exhibition in Kecskemét.

The exhibition Condemned to Slavery presents the history of the Gulag camp system and the fate of more than 700,000 Hungarians deported to Soviet camps. 300,000 of them never returned to their country.

The deportation of the citizens of Hungary, which was defeated in the war – in addition to the exploitation of their labor force as compensation – also served the purpose of making it clear to the Soviet invaders “who is the new master in the house”. The Soviet Union considered Hungary a conquered territory: in accordance with the communist ideology, they tried to break the social resistance and deal with their perceived enemies, said Gábor Balogh.

Looking at the exhibition material, it becomes clear to the viewer that the tableaus are by no means limited to a mere listing of events or a brief description of the meager facts: they bring to life the lives of those forced into forced labor with contemporary photos, recollections, documents, letters, and maps.

The historian pointed out: the health of the prisoners was tested not only by the merciless physical work. The residents of the unheated wooden barracks suffered from inadequate clothing, malnutrition, inadequate medical care, and the cruelty of the guards.

Visitors to the exhibition can learn about the fate of many of them – those who died there, and those who survived the ordeal due to some divine miracle, such as János Rózsás, the “Hungarian Szolzsenyicin”, or Father Olofsson Placid. Next to them, you can also see the culprits, on whom only history has given a (moral) judgment.

The survivors had to keep silent about the horrors for decades: upon returning home, prison, or at best, lifelong silence awaited them. Reports of atrocities spread by word of mouth, and many did not even dare to speak about their sufferings in front of their closest family members, the historian emphasized.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Tamás Gyula Szeberényi, member of parliament, reminded us of this tragic chapter of post-war Hungarian history through the life stories of some survivors from Kecskemét.

Norbert Tódor
Photos: István Mátyus