A gathering honours Hungary’s 1956 refugees in Iceland

More than 100 people attended a memorial event in Mosfellsbær for the 52 Hungarian refugees who arrived in Iceland in 1956, mbl.is reported. The gathering took place at Hlégarður, a community centre where the group first found shelter and spent its first days in the country.

The event was held on Friday evening, marking 70 years since the Hungarian Revolution. Its programme included speeches, music and recollections of the events of 1956.

Erla María Jónsdóttir Tölgyes, the granddaughter of a Hungarian refugee who came to Iceland that year, said the gathering had gone very well. She described meeting people who shared her and her family’s roots as a unique experience.

“The turnout and atmosphere were good, and it was truly a unique experience to see and meet all these people who have the same roots as me and my family,” she told Morgunblaðið. She said 130 people had registered and bought tickets the last time she checked, and suggested more may have attended.

President Halla Tómasdóttir attended with her husband, Björn Skúlason.