From cloth trade to Erasmus

In its recent Dutch focus, Diplomacy & Trade featured an article by the Dutch Department of the University of Debrecen on how they see the different aspects of seven-century history of relationship between Hungarians and the Dutch.

The historical relations between Hungary and the Low Countries have existed for several centuries. Dating as back to the 13th and 14th century, cloth was delivered from Flanders to Hungary with the help of Prussian merchants. Hungary also exported several products to the markets of the Low Countries, mainly raw material, brass, precious metal, iron, beeswax and rawhide.

During the 15th century, political and cultural relations began to pick up between the two countries. Mary, the widow of King Louis II of Hungary, became governor of the Low Countries (the Habsburg Netherlands at that time) on behalf of her brother, Charles V from 1531 to 1555. Miklós Oláh, who would later become the Archbishop of Esztergom, kept up a correspondence with the most famous scholars of the time, including Erasmus of Rotterdam. Later, Oláh introduced a high-level educational culture in Nagyszombat (known today as Trnava, Slovakia) and developed the regional centre of studia humanitatis in Pozsony (Bratislava).

During the Bocskai revolt (1604-1606), Hungary received diplomatic support from the Dutch. The main task of the Dutch diplomats was to organize a Protestant insurrection against the Habsburgs, whom the Dutch fought in their own War of Independence (1568-1648). During the 17th and 18th centuries, Hungarian-Dutch relations flourished. Over these two centuries, more than 2,000, mostly Protestant students from Hungary and Transylvania studied at the universities of the Netherlands. Dutch educational institutions provided the Hungarian students with considerable financial support to continue their studies, and, at the same time, made it possible for the Protestant Church to strengthen its Eastern bridgehead.

After the First World War, Dutch families provided homes for Hungarian children so that they could recover and safely return to their families back in Hungary. With the help of the so-called children-trains, more than 20,000 children were transported to the Netherlands between 1921 and 1926. A similar mission took place after the Second World War, but due to the Communist takeover, only one train was allowed to set off in 1948. The Netherlands provided home for about 3,000 Hungarian refugees in 1956.

Nowadays, the Erasmus student exchange program offers a great opportunity to students who wish to study in another European country. Within the framework of this program, Dutch majors can choose to study at universities in the Netherlands and Flanders, while Hungarian universities become increasingly popular among Dutch students.

The Dutch Department

Students of the University of Debrecen have had an opportunity to learn Dutch at the Dutch Department since 1991. Since then, a wide range of curriculums have been initiated, including Dutch major studies in 1999. This five-year-long program was replaced by the Dutch Bachelor Studies in 2007. Since September 2013, the Department also offers a translator-interpreter Master Study for those who want to deepen their knowledge of the Dutch language and culture.

The Dutch Department provides students with high-level education and plenty of extra-curricular activities including cultural programs, conferences, study trips and exchange programs with the help of which they can complete part of their studies at Dutch and Flemish universities, as well as at Dutch educational institutions of Central Europe. Graduates have outstanding opportunities in the labor market.