Doberdo Tree Returns Home

The so-called “Doberdo tree", the symbol of Hungarian troops who fell in World War I, was bidden farewell in a ceremony held in Szeged on March 25. Originally, the tree stood at the scene of the bloody battles, on the church hill of San Martino del Carso, a town situated on the Doberdo Plateau in Italy. Here fought the 46th Infantry Regiment of Szeged, the only unit of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy to have joined all the 12 battles that took place along the River Isonzo.

The losses of these battles were huge. Two months into the fight, due to the very heavy artillery fire and the renewing Italian mass charges the regiment – which deployed to the Italian front as a 2730-strong unit in May 1915 – consisted only of 439 soldiers. Unable to find a proper cover on the rocky, stony terrain, many soldiers were killed or injured by the splinters of the rocks taking the hits. In fact there was only one “shelter" for them in the area, a spreading mulberry tree on the church hill which protected many soldiers and “saw" many of them die.

Nevertheless this tree also “fell" in that horrible war: the exploding artillery shells broke off its crown and tore its trunk apart. Lt.-Col. Oszkár Zeiss, the commander of the unit had the remains of the dead tree cut down and sent it to Szeged as a way of paying honor to his soldiers’ determination and heroism. The regiment bade farewell with military honors to the trunk consecrated by a field chaplain, and the town of Szeged undertook to exhibit it in the museum “where deadly bullets cannot hit it".

Its ceremonial reception took place on July 16, 1916. The municipal leaders and the officer corps of the garrison headed by Lt.-Gen. Jenő Perneczky were present at the event to pay tribute to the dead heroes. The Doberdo tree was first placed in the cupola hall of the culture palace, from where it was transferred to the collection of the “Ferenc Móra" Museum, which put it on display until the end of World War II. It was moved to the “Fekete-ház" (“Black House") in the 1990s.

Almost a century later, now it “returns" for three months to the scene of the one-time battles and will be on view in San Martino del Carso. In remembrance of World War I, a big series of events is being held in Italy under the patronage of President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano and Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi, which includes the exhibition of the Doberdo tree as well. The Móra Museum has lent free of charge the relic with a goodwill value of HUF 8 million. Its farewell ceremony in Szeged was attended by, among others, Deputy Mayor László Solymos, Szeged-Csanád Diocesan Bishop László Kiss-Rigó and Vincenzo Marega, the producer of a film presenting the story of the tree.

Photos by the author