In the Centennial Footsteps of the Great War, with Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy

I speak with Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, a Hungarian economist and author of ‘In the Centennial Footsteps of the Great War.' We discuss the intersection of pilgrimage and World War I, exploring how historical events shape contemporary understanding and commemoration practices. Attila shares insights from his extensive travels documenting battlefields and memorials across 57 countries, emphasizing the importance of remembering the past to inform the present and future. The conversation also touches on the fragility of peace and the lessons learned from history, as well as Attila's future projects, including a focus on the Second World War.

Takeaways:

*Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy has spent a decade documenting World War I.

*The book combines historical facts with contemporary photography.

*Pilgrimage plays a significant role in how nations remember their war history.

*Vimy Ridge is a key pilgrimage site for Canadians.

*Commemorative practices vary significantly across different fronts.

*Understanding World War I is crucial for grasping current geopolitical tensions.

*The fragility of peace is a recurring theme in historical narratives.

*Szalay-Berzeviczy aims to present a global perspective on World War I.

*The book serves as a warning about the potential for future conflicts.

*Future projects may include exploring the Second World War and the American Revolutionary War.

Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy is a noted Hungarian economist and a banking and capital markets executive with over 30 years of experience in Austria and Central-Eastern Europe. Between 2004 and 2008, he served as the president of the Budapest Stock Exchange and is a proud recipient of the Knight’s Cross Order of the Republic of Hungary, awarded to him in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Hungarian securities market and pension system.

As an amateur historian, Attila has been studying the 1914–1918 period since he learned of the involvement of his great-great-grandfather, Albert Berzeviczy, and that of his cousin, Béla Berzeviczy, in the Great War. Albert served as the president of the Hungarian Academy of Science during the war. He was a close friend of Prime Minister István Tisza and a loyal supporter of Emperor Franz Josef, and he strongly and publicly opposed the declaration of war on Serbia, fearing that it would lead to the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Béla was a high ranking officer in the Dual Monarchy's Army, leading various cavalry and infantry army units into battle on the Russian, Italian and Romanian Fronts from the first day of the war until the very end, before being appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Hungarian Royal Honvéd Army in March 1920.

Since 2012, as a professional photographer, he and his company - Historical Military Photos - have been producing First and Second World War-related photographic images. In 2014, on the eve of the centenary of the start of the Great War, he began to work on his book: In the Centennial Footsteps of the Great War.