The Celebration of the Crown Guards

First Lieutenant Crown Guard József Vitéz – the staff sergeant crown guard, who participated in rescuing the Holy Crown at the end of 1944 and in the spring of 1945 – made a decision after the change of regime to revive the institution of crown guards after long decades. At the Budapest Metropolitan Court, on September 19, 1991, a seal was placed on the Foundation Deed during the registration process of the Association. The resoluteness of the founder, József Vitéz was by all means necessary to achieve that succeeding generations can bow to the memory of the former crown guards, and that their tribulations suffered after the World War be followed by rehabilitation and they should be granted posthumous promotion in their ranks.

“Most of us were very fortunate" – said the Chairman of the AHCG Imre Woth – “to know the great Seniors of the Hungarian Royal Crown Guards, József Vitéz, Ferenc Kollát, Sándor Göndör and József Vaszari. We could learn from them the history of the Holy Crown and the Guards, their commitment to the disciplined service, the unconditional respect for their comrades. Finally arrived the elevating moment, the setting up of the Honvéd Crown Guard in 2011! We were involved in the preparatory training of the young soldiers, and we wanted to hand down the crown guards’ morality to them. On May 30, in the Parliament we attended the oath-taking ceremony of the crown guards owing to the legal continuity as well."

During the ceremony, the Captain-in-Chief of the Historical Knightly Order of Vitéz, Vitéz Mr. László Hunyadi presented tokens of appreciation named “Fortitude, Fidelity, Perseverance" to the members of the Association of the Hungarian Crown Guards providing the guard of honour.

Olympic Athlete Swimmer Dr. András Hargitay – on the occasion of the jubilee – donated three keys to the Association, which were found by a lucky accident in one box. With the joint use of the keys the (armoured) strongroom built for guarding the crown could once be unlocked. There were other relics in the box, too, namely the crown-guard’s seal together with the signatures by Crown Guard dignitaries Count Gyula Károlyi, Count István Bethlen and Count Gyula Ambrózy dated November 21, 1929. The presentation of the series of festive gifts did not end yet. The Association received two original fencing halberds, too, this time.

There is a memorial plaque at the one-time place of the strongroom, on the 7th floor of the library providing the venue of the event, where the crown guards of the Association laid the wreath of commemoration on the occasion of the jubilee.