As my time in Budapest comes to an end, I find myself returning to some the places with special meaning, one of which is the “Shoes of the Danube Bank” Memorial. I find this simple memorial quite moving, and despite the inhumanity of its historical antecedents there is something deeply human about the place. Along …
Continue reading Jane Haining, Stolpersteines, and Bearing Witness
Last week I wrote about the role of religion in the Solidarność movement, while I would not normally write about the same experience twice, there was another facet of my visit to the European Solidarity Centre that I need to tell. -PCL As a historian, I am rarely surprised by the critical role women play …
This past week I visited Gdańsk, Poland to guest lecture for the wonder Dr. Ania Marzurkiewicz and her graduate class on US-Polish relations. While in Gdańsk, my wife and I visited the European Solidarity Centre which houses archival collections related to Solidarność, the independent labor union that formed in Poland during the socialist era. The …
Continue reading European Solidarity Centre & Father Jerzy Popiełuszko
Last week I had the privilege of attending the EU-US Young Leaders Seminar in Brussels, Belgium. Organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, the U.S. Department of State, the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., the Fulbright Commission in Brussels, and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission, …
Continue reading EU-U.S. Young Leaders Seminar: “The Security Implications of Climate Change”
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia) plays a critical role in the development of Hungarian culture, education, and scholarship. Founded in 1825, the Akadémia served as a center for the development of a formalized Hungarian language, literature, and a repository for scientific knowledge. It is housed in a beautiful Renaissance Revival building overlooking …
Continue reading Library and Information Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Sometimes I forget the various Hungarian connections to daily life that sit just below the surface. A few days back a friend came over from the United States to experience Budapest, while showing him around the city I was reminded of this. My friend’s son, like many people enjoys solving Rubik’s Cubes. Yet, most people …
Early this week I travelled to Debrecen (in Northeastern Hungary) to present at a conference at the University of Debrecen. The conference went well, I met great scholars and received immensely helpful feedback on my research. My trip began at the Nyugati Pályaudvar (Western Train Station) in Budapest. It is a striking structure build by Gustave Eiffel …
It has been nearly a month since the last post. There are several developments related to my work that I plan to describe in future posts. But for now a few highlights from the last month seems a good way to wrap up 2023. Scenes from Budapest & the Christmas Tram A White Christmas Eve …
Continue reading December Recap: Snapshots from the Holiday Season
One of the first readings I assign to students is this article1 by Jason Steinhauer because it allows students to engage with the core aspects of the historian’s craft, particularly the difference between memory, myth, history, and the past. In last week’s post, I talked about Thanksgiving, its mythology, and the purpose of that myth. So, …
Continue reading How do we remember? Memory, myth, and Memento Park
Last week I visited the Zene Háza (Music House) in Budapest’s City Park and while there I stumbled on a minor site that I wanted to find, a statue of George Washington. I am interest in this statue for a couple of reasons including that it is purported to be the only statue of Washington …
Patrick C. Leech 