Application 'Yankee Hussar' Launched

The new, niche social application is aimed at supporting to gather locations and sites In the United States with Hungarian references from the Independence War to our days, continuously building the network of 'Hungarian traces' – be it either historic, cultural or even gastronomic. Application HuGo offers support to both Hungarians living in the US and those visiting the American continent in tracing down such clues.

Application HuGo aims at listing all Hungarian references of the past almost 250 years elapsed since the declaration of American independence. HuGo is the adventure seeking Hussar of our era, visiting sites with Hungarian references in the US and sharing those with others, a press statement says.

“Though it may only be known to few, but a Hungarian Hussar named Mihály Kováts played a significant role in establishing the American cavalry during the War of Independence, also giving his life in a battle. He symbolizes the role played by Hungarians both in creating the independent United States and in US history, this is why we chose the hussar character for the application,” the masterminds behind the app are quoted.

Application HuGo was created by actively involving the American Hungarian organizations and was developed by the Washington based Hungary Foundation. “We Hungarians have been contributing to the development of America for centuries, there is almost no place within the USA without Hungarian footprint,” Anna Smith Lacey, head of the foundation, said

The app already spotted and marked hundreds of sites with Hungarian references, ranging from the chimney cake maker in California to the window of the Washington National Cathedral made by Ervin Bossányi, the Hungarian painter and master of applied art, as well as the iconic New York skyscraper (St. Moritz Hotel) designed by Emery Roth (Imre Róth) and the authentic Hungarian farm in Pennsylvania, the 'source' of Hungarian Dobos cake or any of the Lajos Kossuth sculptures.

HuGo is not merely an online map marking American locations with Hungarian references but also a social application enabling users to continuously upload relevant sites and locations they discovered. The application also offers a means to Hungarians living in America to foster their community, assisting the users. Users may include those spending their vacation in the USA, as well as those living in American Hungarian families and their American born children in organizing social events and cultural exchange. HuGo may also come handy for Hungarian 'globetrotters', Americans who fell in love with Hungary or any organizations interested in Hungary and wishing to actively keep in touch.

The occasion for launching the app 'Yankee Hussar' is the anniversary of the 1848 revolution and war of independence, and it is also very much topical at the time of global pandemic, as individuals, families and groups are forced to isolate and are very much in need of experiencing that they belong to each other. Even if travel is limited for the time being, HuGo still helps in finding each other, at least virtually,” she added.