Several programmes for children and military parades were organized in Budapest with a view to commemorating the rightly famous triumphant siege of Nándorfehérvár (currently Belgrade) in 1456, which has become deeply rooted in European historical memory by the practice of ringing church bells at noon.

Ships from the so-called Hunyadi-line, which carries the name of the famous Hungarian nobleman and warlord János Hunyadi, who led the defence of the Nándorfehérvár fortress, moored at Széchenyi István square in Budapest in the morning, carrying about 300 children who participated in a study trip in the city of Belgrade. The trip took place within the framework of the Erzsébet holiday camps, which give socially disadvantaged children access to recreational activities. Programmes for children proceeded with museum-pedagogical activities and special Hungarian history lessons.

The Ordnance Disposal and Naval Battalion of the Hungarian Defence Force fired a cannon salute in honour of the heroes of the victory at Nádorfehérvár, and after the noon bell Minister for Agriculture Sándor Fazekas made a keynote speech in the courtyard of the Military History Institute and Museum, in which he called the victory of Nándorfehérvár a climax in Hungarian history.

Christian forces led by János Hunyadi, Hungarian nobleman and warlord, delivered a devastating defeat on Sultan Mehmed III’s Turkish army, thus delaying the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. On the day of the battle, Pope Callixtus III ordered the bells of every European church to be rung every day at noon, as a call for believers to pray for the defenders of the city, thus the practice of the noon bell is traditionally attributed to the international commemoration of the battle.

In 2011, the Hungarian Parliament proclaimed 22 July a memorial day for the victory at Nándorfehérvár. In a decree published in Friday’s Official Gazette, Public Administration and Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics declared the commemorations to be a top priority event.

(Prime Minister’s Office)