The Royal Hungarian Ludovica Military 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

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

's centrally located VIIIth district. The building was designed by Mihály Pollack in the classical style.

Mission

The academy combined the functions of an advanced

Military High School Military high school is a type of high school that includes military cadet education and so are a form of military academy. They are found in several countries and offer a regular high school education but with an extra military training curricul ...

level preparatory school, a military academy on the level of

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point, and an advanced college to facilitate assignments as junior

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large milita ...

s to the Austro-Hungarian General Staff. The high school provided volunteers of pre-conscription age, between the ages of 14 and 17, the opportunity to join the

Royal Hungarian Honvéd The Royal Hungarian () or Royal Hungarian (), commonly known as the (; Mass noun, collectively, the ), was one of the four Austro-Hungarian Army, armed forces ( or ) of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918, along with the Imperial-Royal Landw ...

cadets A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime o ...

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 in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...

, 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 A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...

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-Este the Royal Princess and the third wife of Ferenc I King of Hungary, who contributed Forint for its upkeep from the funds of the Honours list proclaimed at the

Coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

. 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 A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

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, and this policy was re-introduced, and adhered to, after the Revolt of 1848. 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 A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Baron

Dezső Bánffy Baron Dezső Bánffy de Losonc (; 28 October 184324 May 1911) was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1895 to 1899. Biography Born into the old Hungarian House of Bánffy, Dezső Bánffy was the son of Baron D ...

. 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 or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

regime left the academy building, like the

Buda Castle Buda Castle (, ), formerly also called the Royal Palace () and the Royal Castle (, ), is the historical castle and palace complex of the King of Hungary, Hungarian kings in Budapest. First completed in 1265, the Baroque architecture, Baroque pa ...

, 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 Eötvös Loránd University (, ELTE, also known as ''University of Budapest'') is a Hungarian public research university based in Budapest. Founded in 1635, ELTE is one of the largest and most prestigious public higher education institutions in ...

. Today, the beautifully rebuilt southern wing houses the ''Raoul Wallenberg School of Social Sciences''http://www.wallenberg.sulinet.hu/ Raoul Wallenberg School of Social Sciences website in Hungarian 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. As the heir of Ludovica Academy, on May 15, 2009, the Miklos Zrinyi National Defense University 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 (, ) is the 8th district of Budapest, Hungary. Historically one of the city's 18th–19th century outer suburbs, it is considered part of the broader city centre due to its proximity to Belváros (Budapest), Belváros (Inner City) ...

district.

Legacy

The Ludovika University of Public Service has been operating in the main building of Ludovika since 2012. The Ludovika University of Public Service is the successor of the Royal Hungarian Ludovika Military Academy, the highest-level institution of Hungarian military higher education, and aims to preserve and carry forward its legacy. File:Ludovika frontispiece.jpg, Facade of the main building at the Ludovika Campus File:LudovikaFotoThalerTamas.JPG, Ludovika Campus (2014)

Notable graduates

* Kamill Aggházy (1882–1954) military officer, military historian. * Pál Almásy (1818–1882) military officer, military engineer. *

Tibor Berczelly Tibor Berczelly (3 January 1912 – 15 October 1990) was a Hungarian sabre and foil fencer. He won three gold and two bronze medals at three Olympic Games. References External links * 1912 births 1990 deaths Hungarian male foil ...

(1912–1990) fencer, sport target shooter. * Béla H. Bánáthy, (1919–2003) military officer, educator, and systems scientist * Lajos Bánfalvy (1906-1944) military officer, military intelligent. * István Berkó (1880–1958) military officer, military historian. * Miklós Bonczos (1897–1971) politician, Minister of the Interior (1944). * Károly Csáky (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 Hazai (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 Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...

. * Gyula Kádár (1898–1982) military officer. * Géza Káplány (1880–1952) librarian. * Béla Király (1912-2009) officer, historian, politician. * Lajos Kiss (1922–2003) linguist, Slav specialist, member of

. * 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 Lakatos Géza Lakatos de Csíkszentsimon (Hungarian title/name: "Vitéz lófő csíkszentsimoni Lakatos Géza"; in German: Geza Ritter Lakatos, Edler von Csikszentsimon) (30 April 1890 – 21 May 1967) was a colonel general in the Hungarian Army duri ...

(1890–1967) military officer, politician, Prime Minister (1944). *

Pál Maléter Pál Maléter (4 September 1917 – 16 June 1958) was the military leader of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution who served as minister of defence in the third government of Imre Nagy. Maléter was born to Hungarian parents in Eperjes, a city in ...

(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

. *

Pál Prónay Pál Prónay de Tótpróna et Blatnicza (November 2, 1874 – 1947 or 1948) was a Hungarian reactionary and paramilitary commander in the years following the First World War. He is considered to have been the most brutal of the Hungarian Nation ...

(1874–1946?) military officer, leader of the Prónay detachment. * Imre Radványi (1909–1984) military engineer. *

Liviu Rebreanu Liviu Rebreanu (; November 27, 1885 – September 1, 1944) was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist. Life Born in Felsőilosva (now Târlișua, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania), then part of the King ...

(1885–1944), writer, Director of the

National Theatre Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest () is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Grand Theatre of Bucharest") in 1852, its first director ...

(1928–1930 and 1940–1944). * Endre Rodriguez (1899–1975) film director. * Vilmos Rőder (1881–1969) military officer, Minister of Defense (1936–1938). * György Saly (1915–2003) military officer, historian * Sándor Szurmay (1860–1945) military officer, Minister of Defense (1917–1918). * Jenő Tombor (1880–1946) military officer, Minister of Defense (1945–1946). * Zoltán Tóth (1888–1958) historian, member of

References

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.'') (Magyarul) Saly, György. Visszaemlékezések a magyar királyi honvédség nehéztüzérségére,Saly György. Montréal, Canada : 1995. (https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/citeRecord?searchId=100&recPointer=0&recCount=25&searchType=1&bibId=1190253)

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…'')
{{Authority control Józsefváros 1808 establishments in the Austrian Empire 19th-century establishments in Hungary Military history of Hungary Military history of Austria-Hungary