6th of January 1978 – The return of the Holy Crown to Hungary

The Holy Crown of Hungary, also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings have been crowned with it since the twelfth century. But it left the country for three decades: the historic relic returned on the 6^th of January, 1978, from the United States.

When Stephen became the King of Hungary on Christmas Day in the year 1000, Pope Sylvester II presented him a crown as a gift. Stephen had resolved to raise Hungary to the status of a Christian kingdom, placing it on an equal footing with other European states. He shrewdly requested his crown from the Pope, the spiritual leader of Western Europe, rather than from the Holy Roman Emperor. This crown became one of the most powerful symbols of Hungarian nationhood.

During World War II, the crown and the regalia were buried by the guards in the Buda Castle in October 1944. After Ferenc Szálasi came into power he unburied it and swore to the crown. Then it was taken to Veszprém, Kőszeg, Velem and lastly Austria on the 27^th of March, 1945, to save it from the Soviet troops.

At the end of World War II the crown jewels were recovered in Mattsee, Austria, on 4 May 1945 by the U.S. 86th Infantry Division. T

he crown jewels were transported to Western Europe and eventually given to the United States Army by the Hungarian Crown Guard for safekeeping from the Soviet Union. For much of the Cold War the crown was held at the United States Bullion Depository (Fort Knox, Kentucky) alongside the bulk of America’s gold reserves and other priceless historical items.