Central Europe is not Just a ’Meteorological Concept’, but a ’Spiritual Kingdom’

Civic Review· VOL 17. Special Issue, 2021, 280–291., DOI: 10.24307/psz.2021.0020

Prof. Dr. Nándor Birher, Head of Department, KRE (Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church), university professor VÉF (Archiepiscopal College of Veszprem), (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.); Dr. Péter Bertalan, associate professor KRE, senior research fellow, VERITAS Research Institute for History and Archives (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.); Ákos Jezsó, press and communications officer, VERITAS Research Institute for History and Archives (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Summary

The lessons we learned from the 20th century, more precisely the period that began with the ’Trianon Peace Treaty’ and (seemingly) lasted until the change of regime, still have an impact on the life in our region. Central Europe is much more than a meteorological, economic concept: it is a common destiny shaped by struggles against each other and the experience of interdependence. It is a ’spiritual kingdom’ that has been able to present the world’s most significant philosophers, physicists, musicians, and painters, and at the same time be the center of the bloodiest wars in world history. This ’spiritual kingdom’ was also influenced by religious beliefs, including Vatican diplomacy that represented the interests of Catholicism.

Keywords: Central Europe, peace treaties, culture, Vatican diplomacy, values, common history