Exhibition research display object 10: The German-Hungarians of Ófalu

We first visited Ófalu with the curatorial team on a chilly winter day in February 2023. In order to meet the mayor Erzsébet Bechli, we headed to the village pub—an institution that only opens at the request of the community, because it is not viable as a business. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed with pálinka, a typical Hungarian spirit. As three members of our curatorial team do not speak Hungarian, we were invited to converse in German—a language still widely spoken in Ófalu, despite Hungarian being the first language of most residents. This ceramic plate from the pub serves as a reminder of Ófalu's local German dialect, which is taught in kindergarten and remains a vital part of the community's cultural heritage. In fact, this was not our first conversation in German during the trip. The day before we had visited the nearby village of Mecseknádasd to meet Ferenc Wekler, a key figure in the resistance against the plans to establish a radioactive waste repository in Ófalu during the late 1980s. As a local politician and attorney-general, he had played a pivotal role in mobilizing opposition. His fluency in German allowed our working group to engage in direct conversation and gain rich insights into the political organization of the time and the unexpected role played by the local German minority folk dance group in the resistance.

As part of her artistic research, Anna Witt made a detour from Gorleben to Ófalu to delve deeper into the entanglements of folk dance and resistance. Thanks to the openness and hospitality of the locals, she was able to conduct interviews and gather insights for her research from members of the German-speaking community. 

Within the exhibit, visitors could listen to Anna Witt’s interviews with Ófalu's mayor Erzsébet Bechli and Terézia Reiss, who had played a key part in instigating and organizing local resistance..