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At my parent's house Gyula és Matykó Páprád, Hungary 1982 |
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Our first trip back to Hungary (Magyar Népköztársaság) was in May-June 1982, 11 years after we left the country. That was our happiest reunion with our families there. In 1983 I invited my parents to California. We showed them Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and other places. While here, my father was invited by his sister, (my aunt Rose) to Cleveland, Ohio and paid for his airline ticket, so he could see his nephews and their families there also. In 1984 during the Olympic Games, I invited my son, Mátyás and managed to see some of the soccer games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. In 1998 I invited my aunt Bözsi for a Christmas vacation. Besides showing her Los Angeles, we took her on a trip to Ensenada, Mexico as well. They all enjoyed their stay, it was our great pleasure to have them here and to show them around.
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Our visit to my birthplace |
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The town of Bacs today |
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The tower was restored since we visited in 1956 |
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The History of Bács
The first written sources about Bács date back to the year 535 AD, when it was mentioned by the Roman Emperor Iustinian in one of his letters. In the year 873 AD Bács was a “barbarian” fortress.
During the reign of the Árpád Dynasty Bács was a King’s town and the seat of the Bishopric.
In 1241 Bács was destroyed by the Tatars.
The fortress of Bács, which is now the oldest fortress in Vojvodina, was built by the Hungarian King Charles Robert of the Anjou family during the period from 1338 to 1342. King Mathias Corvinus also held national assemblies there.
The fortress was built on a small island which originates from the meander of the river Mostonga. The fortress was one of the “water towns” because it was completely surrounded by water and the way to reach it was across drawbridges.
After the battle of Mohács in 1526 the town and the fortress were conquered by the Ottoman Turks and became a part of the Turkish administrative region of Szeged. There are descriptions of the Bács fortress in the accounts of the travels of Evly Cheleby which date from that period.
After the Rákóczy uprising (1702-1704) the fortress was burned, demolished and deserted and later never renovated again.
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"The Owl's Castle", Bagolyvár |
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My parents summer house |
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Father, uncles and sons |
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Happy at the Golden Gate Bridge |
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Julius's 11th birthday |
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Matykó, Gyula |
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Ica és Bözsike Catalina szigeten |
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