Ludovica Military Academy
Encyclopedia
The Royal Hungarian Ludovica Defense Academy , shortened to Ludovica or Ludovica Academy, was Hungary's officer cadets training institute prior to 1945. The main edifice of the Academy was erected in 1836 at the Ludovica Garden, in the centrally located VIIIth district. The building was designed by Mihály Pollack in the classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
style.
Mission
The academy combined the functions of an advanced Military High SchoolMilitary High School
Military High Schools are a feature of a number of countries.-Pakistan:*Cadet College Hasan Abdal*Cadet College Petaro*Cadet College Kohat*Cadet College Razmak*Cadet College Mastung*Cadet College Larkana*Cadet College Sanghar*Cadet College Palandri...
level preparatory school, a military academy on the level of United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point, and an advanced college to facilitate assignments as junior staff officers to the Austrian Imperial General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
.
The high school provided volunteers of pre-conscription age, between the ages of 14 and 17, the opportunity to join the Royal Hungarian Defense Forces
Military of Hungary
The Hungarian Defence Force is the national military of Hungary. It currently has two branches, the Hungarian Ground Force and the Hungarian Air Force....
as cadets or junior officers, depending on academic excellence. Ninety students per year were accepted where, 34 students were financed by private foundation grants, 10 students received free tuition provided by the Government, 23 students paid the full annual tuition of 600 Forints, and 23 paid half tuition per annum.
The officers training course required four years to complete, and the interdependence of functions fulfilled several needs of the Defense Forces. It provided a well trained officer corps, a training ground for instructional opportunities for officers, and finally, advanced military training to match the academic level of the Theresian Military Academy
Theresian Military Academy
The Theresian Military Academy is an academy, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. The Academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria.- History :...
in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
, Austria.
The parallel curriculum, and the matched level of quality, between the two schools guaranteed that the majority of officers of the Hungarian Defense forces were selected from the Ludovica Academy.
From the beginning of the final school year, some subjects, of both practical and theoretical nature, were taught in German, and qualified graduates received dual commissions as officers in both forces. This was especially important for the combined Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
Corps, because this arrangement provided for, in a cycle of 2 to 3 years, a fresh assignment of Hungarian-speaking officers to command Hungarian-speaking troops.
History
The academy was established at the 1808 National Assembly session. It was named after Maria Ludovika of Austria-EsteMaria Ludovika of Austria-Este
Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, also known as Maria Ludovika of Modena, was daughter of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife, Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este...
the Royal Princess and the third wife of Ferenc I
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
King of Hungary, who contributed Forint for its upkeep from the funds of the Honours list proclaimed at the Coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
.
With additional public donations and patriotic contributions like that of
Count János Buttler, who personally contributed Forints, a substantial amount was collected, and the foundation stone was laid by Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary (Hungarian: József nádor) in 1831.
The government did everything in its power to prevent the Academy's establishment, and the contributed funds were diverted to other projects. The National Assembly of 1832-36 forbade the language of instruction to be in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, and this policy was re-introduced, and adhered to, after the Revolt of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
.
Its existence, reorganization and regulation was enshrined in the 1872 XVI article of law to function as the Royal Hungarian Ludovica Military Defense Academy, and it opened its doors on November 21, 1872.
Academic accreditation, with the required level of curriculum, was introduced in 1897 during the government of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Baron Dezső Bánffy
Dezso Bánffy
Dezső Baron Bánffy de Losoncz was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1895 to 1899.-Biography:...
. Several well known military officers served as instructors at the Academy, with General Henrik Werth, who, as of 1926, served as the commanding officer.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Communist regime left the Academy building, like the Buda Castle
Buda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
, in their damaged condition. The horse riding school building housed the Alfa cinema, which, in the early 1990s, was completely destroyed by fire.
The thoroughly damaged main building was used by the faculty of Natural Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University. Today, the beautifully rebuilt southern wing houses the Raoul Wallenberg School of Social Sciences And, the greatly expanded underground areas, linking the renovated covered riding school and the partially rebuilt main building, provide home for The Hungarian Museum of Natural History
Hungarian Natural History Museum
The Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest, dating back to 1802, houses the largest natural history collections of Hungary and the region.-Foundation:...
.
As the heir of Ludovica Academy, on May 15, 2009, the Miklos Zrinyi National Defense University
National Defence University
National Defence University may refer to:University*Finnish National Defence University*PLA National Defense University, People's Republic of China*National Defense University, USA...
celebrated the first 100 days of the merged institutes for advanced military curricula.
The celebrations were held in the Orzcy Garden located behind the main edifice and the programs were attended by the Army's choir with the participation of the citizens of the
Józsefváros
Józsefváros
Józsefváros is the 8th district of Budapest, Hungary. It is the part of the city centre in the wider sense as one of the 18-19th century older suburbs, close to Belváros.-Location:...
district.
Notable graduates
- Kamill Aggházy (1882–1954) military officer, military historian
- Pál Almásy (1902–1985) military officer, military engineer
- Tibor Berczelly (1912–1990) fencer, sport target shooter
- István Berkó (1880–1958) military officer, military historian
- Miklós BonczosMiklós BonczosMiklós Bonczos was a Hungarian politician, who served as Interior Minister in 1944. He emigrated to Argentina before the Soviet troops captured Budapest.-References:*...
(1897–1971) politician, Minister of the Interior (1944) - Károly CsákyKároly CsákyCount Károly Csáky de Körösszeg et Adorján was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1923 and 1929. During the World War I he fought on the Eastern Front, where he seriously injured. After the establishment of the Hungarian Soviet Republic he...
(1873–1945) military officer, Minister of Defense (1923–1929) - Béla Dálnoki Miklós (1890–1948) military officer, politician, Prime Minister of the temporary government (1944–1945)
- Gyula Erdélyi (1892–1949) military officer, military historian
- Kamill Erdoss (1924–1962) folklorist, linguist
- Gábor Faragho (1890–1953) military officer, politician, Minister of Public Welfare (1944–1945)
- Ferenc Fáy (1921–1981) poet
- Zoltán Franyó (1887–1978) writer, screenwriter, editor
- Loránd Fráter (1872–1930) lyricist
- Sándor Győrffy-Bengyel (1886–1942) military officer, politician, Minister of Public Welfare (1941–1942)
- Samu HazaiSamu HazaiBaron Samu Hazai was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1910 and 1917.-Early career:...
(1851–1942) military officer, Minister of Defence (1910–1917) - Vilmos Hellebronth (1895–1971) military officer, politician
- Jenő Horváth (1852–1915) military officer, military historian, member of Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
- Gyula Kádár (1898–1982) military officer
- Géza Káplány (1880–1952) librarian
- Lajos KissLajos KissLajos Kiss is a Hungarian sprint canoer who competed in the late 1950s. He won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne....
(1922–2003) linguist, Slav specialist, member of Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:... - Antal Kunder (1900–1968) military engineer, politician, Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce (1938–1939, 1944)
- István Lágyi (1901–1978) cartographer
- Árpád Lajtos (1910–1986) military officer
- Géza LakatosGéza LakatosKnight Géza Lakatos de Csíkszentsimon was a general in Hungary during World War II who served briefly as Prime Minister of Hungary, under governor Miklós Horthy from August 29, 1944, until October 15,...
(1890–1967) military officer, politician, Prime Minister (1944) - Pál MaléterPál MaléterPál Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in the northern part of Historical Hungary, today part of Slovakia. He was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution....
(1917–1958) military officer, politician, Minister of Defense (1956)
- Antal Pálinkás-Pallavicini (1922–1957) military officer
- Denes Pataky (1916-1987) military officer, Five time Hungarian Figure Skating Champion
- Jeno Pilch (1872–1937) military historian, member of Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
- Pál PrónayPál PrónayPál Prónay de Tótpróna et Blatnicza was a Hungarian reactionary and paramilitary commander in the years following the First World War...
(1874–1946?) military officer, leader of the Prónay detachment - Imre Radványi (1909–1984) military engineer
- Endre Rodriguez (1899–1975) film director
- Vilmos RőderVilmos RőderVilmos Rőder was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence between 1936 and 1938. He fought in the First World War as Chief of Army Staff of Army Corps...
(1881–1969) military officer, Minister of Defense (1936–1938) - Sándor SzurmaySándor SzurmayVitéz Baron Sándor Szurmay de Uzsok was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence for the Hungarian portion of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary between 1917 and 1918....
(1860–1945) military officer, Minister of Defense (1917–1918) - Jenő TomborJenő TomborJenő Tombor was a Hungarian military officer and politician, who served as Minister of Defence from 1945 until his death. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic he planned a successful campaign against the rebel Czechoslovaks with Aurél Stromfeld.-References:*...
(1880–1946) military officer, Minister of Defense (1945–1946) - Zoltán TóthZoltán TóthZoltán Tóth is a Hungarian figure skater. He is the five time Hungarian national champion and competed in two Winter Olympic Games. His highest placement at an ISU Championship was 17th at the 2003 European Figure Skating Championships...
(1888–1958) historian, member of Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
Literature
Rada Tibor: The combined Histories of the Royal Hungarian Ludovica Military Academy and Her Sister Institutes (1830–1945), Gálos-Nyomdász Kft., Budapest, 1998. (Hungarian: A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Ludovika Akadémia. és a Testvérintézetek Összefoglalt Története (1830-1945), Gálos-Nyomdász Kft., Budapest, 1998.)External sources
- The resulting Act II of 1812, based on recommendations to establish the Ludovica Academy. (Hungarian: 1812. évi II. törvénycikk a katonai Ludovika-akadémia részére folytatólag tett ajánlatokról),
- Returning to Orczy Park (Hungarian: Vissza az Orczy-kertbe!)
- 100 more days in the world, then... (Hungarian: Még 100 nap a világ, aztán…)