Ferenc Rakoczi II memorial year – academic competition at the University of Rakoczi
In honor of the 350th anniversary of the birth of the Great Prince, Ferenc Rakoczi II, the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University, Pro Cultura Subcarpathica, and the Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association announced a three-round team competition for students in grades 9–11. Applicants were welcomed from across the entire Carpathian Basin. The third round of the competition, which also served as the final, took place on April 10 at the University of Rakoczi.
The aim of the Ferenc Rakoczi memorial year – academic competition is for students to commemorate the Great Prince in a worthy manner and, through the competition, discover the historical and cultural heritage of the Rakoczi era.
The main patrons of the competition are Zsolt Semjén, Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, and Viktória Ferenc, Member of the European Parliament for Fidesz–KDNP and a former student of the Ferenc Rakoczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University. The patrons of the competition are Dr. Zoltán Maruzsa, State Secretary for Public Education of the Ministry of Interior of Hungary, Lőrinc Nacsa, State Secretary for National Policy of Hungary, Csongor Csáky, President of the Rakoczi Association, and László Brenzovics, President of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association.
At the beginning of the event, we heard a tárogató performance by Imre Holozsai, a teacher at the Tulipán Tanoda Hungarian School of Folk Music and Folk Art, followed by the welcoming of the invited guests. After this, those present jointly sang the university’s anthem, the Kuruc-era song titled Rákóczi Ferenc bús éneke.
Following this, Zoltán Maruzsa, State Secretary for Public Education, greeted the attendees.
“That Ferenc Rakoczi is an important historical figure in Hungarian history perhaps goes without saying, but the fact that you are here, precisely and thoroughly prepared—not only from the mandatory content of history books but also from a wealth of knowledge and content that goes far beyond that—is very important,”
said the State Secretary, thanking our university and the Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association for organizing the competition. He further commemorated the persona of Ferenc Rakoczi II, who possessed noble goals and excellent insight into human nature, thus becoming a role model for everyone.
“Ferenc Rakoczi II, the Great Prince, was born 350 years ago; in his time, he fought with a sword, with God by his side, for homeland and freedom. If we look around our world today, we see that we still cannot sit back. We see that we must still fight today, only differently. Today, the Hungarian word is one of our greatest weapons. The Hungarian community in Transcarpathia fights day by day by maintaining Hungarian institutions, preserving Hungarian community values, and by organizing such local history competitions as this one,”
highlighted Viktória Ferenc, Member of the European Parliament and former student and instructor of the University of Rakoczi.
Ildikó Orosz, President of the University of Rakoczi, spoke about the circumstances of organizing the memorial competition, the idea for which arose in October 2025. During this time, 14 teams entered, six of which reached the finals today.
“Descendants of the Kurucs, you are here now to prove that you would be faithful subjects of the Great Prince,”
she said, wishing the participants a successful competition.
“The fact that we have gathered today for such a large-scale academic competition as an extension of the Rakoczi Days in the educational institution named after the Great Prince clearly indicates that in this region, Rakoczi is not merely a dusty statue on our town’s main square, nor just an abstract historical figure about whom scores of volumes are lined up and gathering dust on library shelves; he is a truly living personality whom we remember and who is worth remembering,”
added István Csernicskó, Rector of our university.
Following the greetings, the teams that reached the finals were introduced—Bercsényi’s Kurucs of Uzhhorod, Rakoczi Association of Berehove, Kuruc hussars, Kurucs of Mukachevo, Rakoczi’s six leaders, The Banner-raisers—and the course of the competition was outlined.
The final consisted of five diverse mini-rounds: identifying film scenes, recognizing and performing Kuruc songs, assembling a Rakoczi-era puzzle, a Rakoczi-era quiz, and a War of Independence crossword. These were complemented by an additional task: the presentation of a contemporary period dish. The tasks aimed to test the participants’ historical knowledge, creativity, and cooperation skills alike.
After the rounds, the professional jury aggregated the points earned by the teams, and then Kálmán Mészáros, President of the Jury, evaluated the contestants. The winner of the competition was the Rakoczi Association of Berehove, the silver medalist was Bercsényi’s Kurucs of Uzhhorod, and the third-place winner was the Kurucs of Mukachevo team. A special prize was awarded to the Rakoczi’s six leaders team. The Banner-raisers finished in fifth place, and the Kuruc hussars in sixth place.
The top three winners will participate in a trip to Brussels, courtesy of Member of the European Parliament Viktória Ferenc. Additionally, the top three winners and the special prize recipient received a financial grant to be spent at Tünde Divat. The awards were presented by State Secretary for Public Education Zoltán Maruzsa, Rector István Csernicskó, President Ildikó Orosz, and Jury President Kálmán Mészáros.
Thanks to patrons Zsolt Semjén and Zoltán Maruzsa, all team members who entered the competition and their accompanying teachers can participate in a In the footsteps of Rakoczi excursion during the summer, covering locations in Transcarpathia, Hungary, and Slovakia.
As the closing of the event, those present jointly sang the song titled Csínom Palkó.
Anita Kurmay