On the Great Hungarian Plain

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View of the Great Hungarian Plain with Draw Well: Karoly Markó the Elder, 1853, oil on canvas, 41 x 53 cm (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, Budapest)

Miklós Radnóti: Postcard 2
 

  ...................................  ...........    6 October 1944, near Crvenka, Serbia

 
A few miles away they're incinerating
the haystacks and the houses,
while squatting here on the fringe of this pleasant meadow,
the shell-shocked peasants quietly smoke their pipes.
Now, here, stepping into this still pond, the little shepherd girl
sets the silver water a-ripple
while, leaning over to drink, her flocculent sheep
seem to swim like drifting clouds.

Miklós Radnóti (1905-1944): Postcard 2 (1944), translated by Michael R. Burch

 

On the Hungarian Great Plain the landscape seems to be dominated by the sky: photo by DurhamDundee, 16 July 2009

Checkpoint at Hungary-Serbia border, Röszke, Hungary: photo by Milei Vencel, 29 May 2013



 Checkpoint at Hungary-Serbia border, Röszke, Hungary: photo by Milei Vencel, 18 July 2012



International border crossing between Serbia and Hungary near Horgos  -- Serbian side pictured, direction towards Hungary: photo by Meelosh, 27 January 2007

Serbian-Hungarian border completely closed to migrants. Photo @afpattila: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 September 2015

The first group of #refugees that didn't make it through to #Hungary sits just the other side of the fence in #Serbia: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 14 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

Migrants & refugees walk along a 3-meter-high fence between Serbia and Hungary, near Horgos. Photo Elvis Barukcic: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 September 2015

Refugees now confronted by miles of razor wire at Hungarian border. Only way to walk is towards processing centre: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

 #Drone pic of border closing at #Roszke. Police stop #refugees in #Serbia at top while truck on right puts up wire: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 14 September 2015 Szeged, Csongrad

Police guard gap in #Hungary's border fence. Another group just inside #Serbia stops #refugees from entering: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 14 September 2015 Szeged, Csongrad

Group of refugees arrives at blocked #Roszke crossing. Police tell them "transit zone to left" and point down fence: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 15 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

A railway wagon covered in barbed wire is placed at the Hungarian border with Serbia near Horgos. #AFP @armend_nimani: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 September 2015

#Drone view of the rail carriage used by Hungarian government to block gap in fence at #Roszke border crossing: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 15 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

A group of #Syrian #refugees is turned away at #Roszke #Hungary and told by police to try border post 2km away: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 15 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

The new border line of Europe, courtesy of Hungary. Refugees walk along the fence.: image via Eric Randolph @EricWRandolph, 14 September 2015

#Refugees first reaction after reaching the now sealed hungarian #border at #roszke: image via Levente Hernadi @Lvnte, 15 September 2015

Meglepte a menekülteket a Mad Max-vagon: image via index,hu @indexhu, 15 September 2015

 

Border closed, #refugees start to pile up on land between #Hungary and #Serbia at #Horgos: image via Levente Hernadi @Lvnte, 15 September 2015

 

Border closed, #refugees start to pile up on land between #Hungary and #Serbia at #Horgos: image via Levente Hernadi @Lvnte, 15 September 2015

Border closed, #refugees start to pile up on land between #Hungary and #Serbia at #Horgos: image via Levente Hernadi @Lvnte, 15 September 2015

Fed up with waiting in front of locked door, refugees now sitting in the main motorway. All border traffic stopped: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

Europe shame: image via matthew cassel @matthewcassel, 15 September 2015

Border closed, #refugees start to pile up on land between #Hungary and #Serbia at #Horgos: image via Levente Hernadi @Lvnte, 15 September 2015

Refugees now pressing against solid metal barriers that block border into Hungary. Police and army on other side: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

This Hungarian territory, so Govt still has responsibility for these people awaiting entry. Not an official in sight: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

 

If they'd arrived yesterday, this group wd be on a bus to Germany by now. Instead this fence may be the end of road: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

 

Hundreds now pressing against single door surrounded by razor wire. Only (legal) way into Hungary. Firmly shut.: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

So after 30 mins, the door has opened. But only to pass out food and water. No one is going in.: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

 #Refugees on hunger strike RIGHT NOW @#Roszke border point, throwing food on the ground & asking #Hungary to let them in: image via Szaboics Panyi @panyiszaboics, 15 September 2015

Hunger strike @#Roszke still going on, little children w/out food&water as it's getting hotter. Pic by István Huszti: image via index,hu @indexhu, 15 September 2015

 

Line of #refugees waiting to get on buses at #Roszke camp on Serbia-Hungary border is just getting longer: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 13 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

The first group of #refugees that didn't make it through to #Hungary sits just the other side of the fence in #Serbia: image via Oliver Varney @Oliver Varney, 14 September 2015 Röszke, Csongrad

Refugees in Serbia have set up camp just meters away from Hungary's now sealed border: image via matthew cassel@matthewcassel, 15 September 2015

 

Hungary's former PM Ferenc Gyurcsany visits refugees stuck on Serbian side of border. Calls situation 'disgraceful': image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

Serbian minister Aleksander Vulin at blocked Hungarian border. Says he's asked Hungarians to open. They've refused.: image via James Mates @jamesmatesitv, 15 September 2015

A man kisses his baby as they sit along a fence on Hungaria's border with Serbia near the town of Horgos: image via Anhony Wallace @AntAFP, 15 September 2015

 

SERBIA - A refugee carries a child on his back at Hungarian border with Serbia near Horgos. By @armend nimani #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 September 2015