After the Second World War, Europe had a big amount of people fleeing or being homeless. Changing regimes, the Soviet block and groups fleeing political oppression made the UN categorize all these needed people as refugees that had a special need of protection. Hungarians became one of them in the 1956, and 1500 Hungarians arrived in Norway as our first refugees.
The Hungarian Revolution started in October 1956 as a protest to their government Hungarian People’s Republic, lack of democratic rights and independence from the Soviets. The revolt was repressed and Soviet Union invaded Hungary which killed 20 000 Hungarians, driving more than 200 000 to seek refugee abroad. The Hungarians who left came mostly from Budapest, many belonged to the old upper classes and were educated or politically active against the Communist regime. The Hungarian government wanted to destroy any political opponents, the middle-and upper classes or any educated enemies to gain more control, and therefore they let those who wanted to flee the country do so, despite they could have stopped them. Most of the Hungarians arrived in Austria, and with time it became clear that the Austrian government needed help with the amass of refugees continuing to arrive.
“Norway must open the border to Hungarian refugees”
Norway aimed to help Austria first at a distance after a request from UN, as the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Ministry of Social Affairs had their hands full with thousands of replaced Norwegians in their own country waiting for new homes after the Second World War. Norwegians themselves thought different, and the 7th of November 1956 between 15 to 20 000 Norwegians gathered in Oslo to protest for the lack of initiative from the state to help the Hungarians. Media also reported on volunteer work, donations and aid to the Red Cross. The Norwegian government started soon after three homes named Nansenhjem in Austria together with transit camps and a high school as one of 52 countries giving economic or political aid. It was all run by the Red Cross which in the end ran 31 camps in Austria with a capacity for 43 000 people. The Norwegian delegation working with the refugees in Austria interviewed refugees arriving but doubted whether the Hungarians were refugees after the UN Convention or simply economic refugees. Their minds changed and in the end the Norwegian government funded 1 million NOK in late November 1956, to help 1000 Hungarian refugees to Norway as one of the last Western countries to do so.
Most of them came by plane covered by the government, others came with aid from volunteer organizations and private foundations who sponsored the entire travel. Some had family here, but most were either students, families or young adults. In 1957 many Hungarians had changed the route and fled to Yugoslavia, and so Norway got refugees from these camps as well. In total 1500 Hungarians chose to arrive in Norway, after their application had been approved by the local Norwegian commission in the camps.
Why did they choose Norway? For most it was a matter of time as they wanted to leave the bad conditions in the transit camps, and Norway was one of few countries who accepted refugees so shortly before Christmas. The Hungarians had a good perception of Scandinavia and did not want to leave Europe despite they could. Most frequently asked questions from the Hungarians were how work and housing conditions was like, climate, salaries, and if we had Communists. One got a letter while in transit in Austria from his cousin in Norway, describing it as a land with lots of oranges but no shoemakers, so everyone just threw their shoes instead of repairing it. And most important, it was peaceful and he had the opportunity to study. That made the decision for this person to choose Norway.
How did they settle in?
Many homes were set up temporary by using hotels, camp sites and private homes around the country. Volunteer aid and donations were given in big quantities from Norwegians as there was a general sympathy for the Hungarians fleeing occupation, as Norway was occupied during the Second World War. In the camps the Hungarians were given a daily allowance, medical and legal help, activities and Norwegian language classes. Luckily time at the temporary camp here was quick, as most left after a month to a permanent home and work.
“And then we were flown to Fornebu Airport in Oslo. A snow storm when we landed. And I thought “Oh my God, what have I done?”
Above is a quote from one of the refugees that arrived in in Oslo, in December 1956. The expectations when they arrived and were driven to transit homes varied a lot, but most wanted a job and a house as soon as possible. Returning to Hungary was seen as out of the question as they saw that the Soviet regime held on to power. Many of the refugees were frightened as their relatives or friends were arrested by the State Protection Authority (AVH), and so they lived in constant fear in Hungary. Others had their wealth and assets taken away from them and set to work manual labor jobs they would not return to.
“Toilet we did have, but no bathroom…()And then there were several of us who I worked with who did not have a bathroom either. We founded a sewing club in 1962, and then we went together to Bislett Public Bath to take showers(…) No, you can’t imagine… Really, for us it was a huge transition, but Norway wasn’t so wealthy back then. So yes, I got a lower housing standard here than what I was used to”
A female Hungarian refugee describes above the condition many met when leaving Budapest where their housing standards were elevated to what they met when moving into apartments and houses in Norway. In Oslo in particular, many buildings were poorly renovated and it was common in many districts to have outdoor toilets and no bathroom inside until the 1970s. Another described the Norwegian houses as having small bedrooms but big living rooms, while in Hungary it was the opposite as you did not host your guests at home, one simply went out to eat in the coffee houses. Norwegian food, culture and behavior seemed bland and strange, as Norwegians spent most of their time at home or in nature. Most Hungarians moved to Eastern Norway to work and study, and as they got a better salary they bought either newly built apartments or houses — they wished to continue the life of owning their own house as they did back in Hungary before the Communists took over.
Education and work wise the Hungarians were better educated than the average Norwegian population when they arrived in 1956, still the adult Hungarians had a long way and many turns before they got work which corresponded to their previous profession in Hungary. A local labor administration helped Hungarians to find job while they lived in transit camps in Norway, but most of them got lower paid manual jobs as there quite often were errors in the communication between the Hungarians and the labor administration. After some try and fails, Hungarians themselves got to know the opportunities they had and asked for help to get jobs that corresponded to their previous qualifications. The students and other young Hungarians had it easier, as student organizations helped to give jobs, clothes, Norwegian language classes, money and other support to Hungarian students when they started study at Norwegian universities from 1957 to 1958. Employing and helping the Hungarians into the universities, labor and housing market went extremely fast, because Norway did not yet have oil and were in desperate need of qualified workers such as the Hungarians were. The growing industries and marine sector especially was lacking skilled Norwegian workers in 1956, so employers had no resistance against employing foreigners.
A successful immigration?
On 23 October 2006, the Parliament President Torbjørn Jagland gave a speech at the 50th anniversary for the 1956 revolution, where he referred to the Hungarians as a sunshine story in Norwegian immigration history. The Hungarians achieved salaries, education and housing conditions on equal scale with Norwegian citizens, and had melted into the society here. But what did the Hungarians feel themselves?
“So it is, of course: We stay, in our soul, Hungarians. But there are equal strong feelings for Norway too (…) I usually say that Norway is my second fatherland.”
The quote above is what many Hungarians felt after staying in Norway for some time. They were both Hungarian and Norwegian, and kept both cultures side by side throughout their life. Many went on holidays to Hungary from 1964, while others didn’t go there until after the Communist regime fell in 1989. Of those who married Norwegians, it was mostly the women who transferred Hungarian culture to their children. Learning the Hungarian language was also kept in the family, such as visits to Hungary and keeping in touch with friends and relatives there.
Today many Norwegians are not even aware that we had Hungarian refugees here in 1956. The Hungarians melted into the Norwegian society in a quiet but efficient way and left a small but important cultural imprint in our country to this day.
Sources:
Arkivverket, Flyktninger fra Ungarn 1956–1957, https://www.arkivverket.no/om-oss/hva-er-arkivverket/statsarkivet-hamar-100-ar/flyktninger-fra-ungarn-1956-1957
Master thesis UIO, Den ungarske migrasjonen til Norge i 1956/57
