Međimurje celebrates one of the most important dates in its history

On Tuesday, January 9, Međimurje celebrated one of the most important dates in its history - the Day of Reunification with the mother country Croatia, and that day is marked as a memorial day.

On that day in 1919, the Great National Assembly gathered about 10,000 people from Međimurje on the Franciscan Square in Čakovec, who made a decision to secede Međimurje from Hungary, expressing their belonging to the Croatian people, recalled Croatian Parliament on Tuesday.

The day of the unification of Međimurje with the mother country Croatia

According to the new Law on Holidays, Memorial Days and Non-Working Days, which applies from January 1, 2020, January 9 is marked as a memorial day - the Day of Reunification of Međimurje with the mother country Croatia in commemoration of the adoption of the Resolution on the secession of Međimurje from the Hungarian state.

As a memorial day, this historical event has been marked since September 2005, when - through amendments to the Law on Holidays - it was marked as a Memorial Day for the passing of the Resolution on the secession of Međimurje from the Hungarian state.

Tribute to the deserving people of Međimurje

The day commemorating the passing of that resolution is significant because of its role in the historical aspiration to preserve the uniqueness of the Croatian territory, and that day is marked throughout Međimurje with a series of events and ceremonies honoring the deserving people of Međimurje.

The Resolution of January 9, 1919 states:

The Croatian people in Međimurje have always had the desire to unite politically with their fellow tribesmen of the same blood and language. The imperialism of the Hungarian state, which through forced Hungarianization wanted to create a single and monolingual Hungarian nation from the various peoples of the former state of Hungary, - just as it did not succeed with other non-Hungarian nations, - so it did not succeed with the Croats of Međimurje either.

Despite the greatest violence and the fiercest Hungarianization, the Croatian people in Međimurje preserved their language and a living desire for liberation from the foreign yoke. When the idea of the great president of the North American states, Wilson, about the self-determination of peoples won, the Croats of Međimurje also felt that they too had the right to freedom and life. The Hungarian authorities wanted to nip this nation's aspiration for freedom with one last nip in the bud, and many sons of our nation had to pay for this aspiration with their own blood. Nevertheless, the hour of liberation has come for the glorious army of the sons of our blood and language.

That is why today Croats from all of Međimurje, - gathered at a public general assembly, held on January 9, 1919 in the capital Čakovec, - openly, decisively, unanimously and self-consciously declare in front of the whole world: We secede forever from the Hungarian state, to which we have until now belonged only under the influence of force and against our will," stated Croatian Parliament.

One of the most important dates in the history of Međimurje

Prefect Matija Posavec pointed out that this is one of the most important dates in the history of Međimurje, adding that the characteristic of the people of Međimurje is that no aspirations or imperialist goals of foreign powers can impose their will on them.

“They did not want to accept what was imposed on them because the Hungarians wanted to Hungarianize what was at that moment the purest Croatian area. They decided to take matters and fate into their own hands and they succeeded in that, survived, preserved their language, culture and identity, and that is why the Međimurje identity is the most important and valuable thing we have today,” said Posavec.

He added that today they are looking to the future, creating a region that is developed, that invests a lot in education and health care, wanting every citizen of Međimurje to be proud of their homeland and their history, but building a better and happier future.

The mayor of Čakovec, Ljerka Cividini, said that until 1918, Međimurje suffered decades of often violent Hungarianization.

“Who knows what the history of our homeland would have looked like if it hadn't been for a few patriots from Međimurje, who, probably anticipating the imminent outcome, already from the beginning of the 20th century started a fight for the recognition of the fact that Croats live here who want to live in the same state with the rest of their people,” she said to Cividini.

In the morning, wreaths and lit candles were laid on the eternal resting places of the people of Međimurje who contributed to the historic act of secession of Međimurje from Hungary, and the commemoration of Memorial Day continued with a ceremonial academy in the Scheier building in Čakovec. Among the participants were Orsat Miljenić, as a representative of President Zoran Milanović, and Dražen Srpak, a Member of Parliament and representative of the Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković.

Source: HRT