Library of the Pannonhalma Archabbey, Hungary.

The Pannonhalma Archabbey, belonging to the Benedictine order of Catholicism, is one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary. It was established over a millennium ago, in the year 996. Several dozen monks still live there, following the Benedictine motto Pray and work! (in Latin the words are Ora et labora!) Its library owns over 350,000 books and documents. Among its treasures is the oldest surviving document in the Hungarian language, a charter for another Benedictine abbey dating back to the year 1055. The library as it is seen today was built in the 1800s. The Abbey has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UNESCO website points out:

The Monastery of Pannonhalma and its surroundings illustrate in an exceptional manner the characteristic setting, the connections with its environment, the specific structure and the organization of a Christian (Benedictine) monastery that has evolved over a thousand years of continuous use. The Benedictine Monastery with its location and the early date of its foundation in 996 bear special witness to the diffusion of Christianity in Central Europe, which is enriched by the continuing presence of the Benedictine monks who have worked towards peace among countries and people for one thousand years. The attributes that express the Outstanding Universal Value including the whole historic monastic complex (the buildings of the Archabbey, the Basilica, the educational buildings, the Chapel of Our Lady and the Millennium Monument) and its immediate natural surroundings (the Archabbey’s botanical garden, the herbal garden, parks and forests) are located within the property. Thus, the monastic complex incorporates all the venues of Benedictine monastic life. Due to its special location, undisturbed views from and to the property in its wider context can only be partially ensured by delimitation.

Thailand and Hungary

Last year His Excellency the former Hungarian Ambassador to Thailand Dénes Tomaj told The Big Chilli:

There is a long history of relations between Hungary and Thailand. In 1872 the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Siam started to work on a treaty on trade, navigation and amity. The treaty was signed in 1874. This can be considered in a way as the start of the bilateral relations between the two countries. HM King Chulalongkorn [Rama V] visited Hungary when he toured Europe. The first Austro-Hungarian delegation was opened in Bangkok in 1913 at what is now the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. If you go around the old building there’s a plaque commemorating the hundredth anniversary of this event. So as you see, before the First World War the Austro-Hungarian Empire had diplomatic relations with Siam, but when Thailand entered the war in July 1917 the relations were cut. I suspect that Thailand was pushed into a situation where they declared war on Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire… Much later, in 1973, Hungary as an independent country established formal diplomatic relations with Thailand and for a time our ambassador in Tokyo was looking after Thailand.

In 1983, a Hungarian embassy opened in Bangkok and five years later, a Thai embassy opened in Budapest, Hungary. Ex-Ambassador Tomaj – he was more recently succeeded in his responsibilities by H. E. Peter Jakab – emphasized that international exchange between the two countries is increasing:

There’s a lot of history in our bilateral relations, especially in the past 10-15 years when there has been a very positive tendency toward cooperation. We’ve identified some issues which are important for both of our countries, like water management. Budapest is on the banks of the Danube River, and we know very well the devastation of floods and we know something about how to manage and prevent them. It is not by chance that Hungarian President János Áder was invited to attend the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit held in Chiang Mai [in 2013]…Bilateral trade between our countries was about US$500 million in 2013. Thailand exports a bit more to Hungary than vice-versa due to the character and size of the two economies. We are very much in favor of further development of bilateral relations as we regard Thailand as a middle power in the region and one that has a lot of influence. Both our countries have a well-developed automobile industry. Spare auto parts are a big aspect of bilateral trade. We export fully assembled cars as well, like Audi and Mercedes Benz. We are also importing and exporting IT products. We export household products and delicacies, like the foie gras served in many restaurants and hotels in Thailand. In fact we export about 20 tons of goose liver to Thailand each year…

We issued visas at the embassy for about 3,000 Thais to visit Hungary last year, but according to records many more Thais entered Hungary on Schengen visas good throughout the EU. About 18,000-20,000 Hungarians visit Thailand annually. This is a very popular destination for our nationals and they usually enjoy their stay very much.We don’t know how many Hungarian nationals reside in Thailand. There are about 200 registered with our embassy but we think it is two or three times that many. In extreme situations, a tsunami for example, it helps to be registered with the embassy because we can then look out for our people in an affected area. There’s no Hungarian airline flying to Thailand now. In the past our flagship carrier Malev had direct flights between Budapest and Bangkok, but unfortunately the airline went out of business in 2012. We hope that Thai International will one day make flights between our capitals…You can find almost any kind of kitchen in Bangkok, but unfortunately, there is no Hungarian restaurant. About 12 years ago there was an attempt to open a Hungarian restaurant, but I think because of a bad location on the third floor, it wasn’t accessible and it failed,” Mr Tomaj said. “I think Thai people would enjoy Hungarian dishes because we also like spicy food. Maybe one day someone will try again to open a Hungarian restaurant here.

For now, to experience real cuisine interchange between Thailand and Hungary, it would seem travelers must go to Toronto, Canada, where the Hungary Thai Bar & Eatery, a Hungarian restaurant combines both food traditions. Serving Hungarian and Thai cuisine, the Hungary Thai does not mix the flavors as much as serve them both together. Diners can order Hungarian schnitzel – fileted meat fried in a bread batter – and basil tofu rice. Some foodies report that the Hungarian food tastes more authentic than the attempts at Thai cuisine, but perhaps that is only to be expected.

As the Ambassador suggested, in 2013 The Nation reported that Thailand and Hungary have agreed to cooperate in water management of the Danube and Mekong rivers. At the time, the Danube River was rising and the city of Budapest was preparing for potentially devastating flooding. Just as the Mekong River runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the Danube also crosses many nations. Flowing through ten different countries in all, the Danube passes through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. As a result, issues involving many different nations may arise from the river’s management and conditions, just as is the case with Thailand’s experience of the Mekong. Water use and disaster management are among the subjects requiring close cooperation among countries involved, whether in Asia or Europe. Like other countries in the Danube region, Hungary has much experience with these issues, which Thailand and other ASEAN nations may benefit from. Among other areas for development remain mutual investments and academic and research exchange. Hungary has offered 15 scholarships for Thai students in medicine and science in Hungary. Currently, there are far more medical students from Malaysia pursuing studies in Hungary than from Thailand.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).