Eastern Europe - Hungary and beyond

[Viking01 186]

Welcome to our third flight in the Eastern European Region. We will spend most of our time in Hungary, but we will visit Bosnia and Herzegowina and Croatia as well.

 We depart from Budapest’s International Airport Franz Liszt (LHBP).

 Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. The history of Budapest began when an early Celtic settlement transformed into the Roman town of Aquincum, the capital of Lower Pannonia. The Hungarians arrived in the territory in the late 9th century, but the area was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241–42. Re-established Buda became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. The Battle of Mohács, in 1526, was followed by nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule. After the reconquest of Buda in 1686, the region entered a new age of prosperity, with Pest-Buda becoming a global city after the unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest on 17 November 1873, with the name 'Budapest' given to the new capital. Budapest also became the co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I.

The central area of Budapest along the Danube River is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has several notable monuments of classical architecture, including the Hungarian Parliament and the Buda Castle. The city also has around 80 geothermal springs, the largest thermal water cave system, the second-largest synagogue, and the third-largest Parliament building in the world. Budapest attracts around 12 million international tourists per year, making it a highly popular destination in Europe.

We will overfly the [Hungarian Parliament Building], the City of Budapest, the [TV Tower], and the small airport of Farkashegy (LHFH) before landing at Tokol (LHTL).

We head southwest and overfly the [Miska Huszar Statue]. The new Hungarian tourist attraction is unique in its genre, made of 100 tons of concrete and 13,01 meters high. The monumental Hussar statue is next to the M7 highway, in Pákozd, where it was said that Jellasic the Croat and Imperial-Royal feldzeugmeister had stood in September 1848.

The Miska-Hussar statue is the symbol of the Hungarian hussars, the monument of the Hungarian military Hungaricum, which is intended to capture the heroism and courage of the Hungarian soldiers. This statue is also the symbol of the victorious Hungarian soldier, as it stands and reminds us of the place of the triumph of Pákozd, so that the Hussar holds a victory flag in one hand and rests his other hand on his sword, indicating that he is ready to fight at any time to defend his country.

We land at Kiliti-Sagvar (LHSK).

On a peninsula in Lake Balaton is [Tihany Abbey]. The monastery was founded by Andrew I in 1055. The foundation charter is the oldest preserved document in Hungary. The monastery converted into a fortress and resisted conquest by the Turks. In 1786 it was closed by Emperor Joseph II and reopened in 1802. In 1921, the last Hungarian King Charles IV was interned here for a short time after a failed restoration attempt. In 1950 the abbey was closed. In 1990, the building complex was returned to the Benedictines and has been inhabited by monks ever since. Since 2012 it has been an independent priory of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma with nine monks, who thereby take on not only religious but also social tasks.

We continue about 25 miles west and reach [Suemegi Castle]. It was built around 1300 and changed its appearance a lot. It was burnt down several times and deteriorated even more when the communists took over in 1950. In 1989, the current captain of the castle obtained the right to operate it and turned it into a tourist destination. There are knight games and "medieval dinners" take place. From the restored walls one has a very good view of the surrounding countryside. The castle has now been newly restored and renovated.

12 miles south, back at Lake Balaton, we reach [Szigliget Castle]. The castle is located on the shore of Lake Balaton and was built on a 234-meter-high mountain of volcanic origin. It is located on a peninsula surrounded by countless volcanic hills. At the time of construction, the peninsula was an island and accessible only by boat. In the nineteenth century, an important water regulation was carried out in Hungary in Central Transdanubia, draining Lake Balaton and as a result, the island of Szigliget became a peninsula.

We land at Balaton Airport (LHSM).

We overfly the [Ujudvar TV Tower] and land at Zalakaros Airport (LHZK).  We head southeast and land at Kadarkút (LHKT).

Further 27 miles east we reach the city of Pécs.  The city is the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the country's southwest, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economic center of Baranya County and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs. A city dating back to ancient times, settled by the Celts and the Romans, it was made an episcopal see in early medieval Hungary. It has the oldest university in the country and is one of its major cultural centers. It has a rich cultural heritage from the age of a 150-year Ottoman occupation. It is historically a multi-ethnic city where many cultures have interacted through 2000 years of history. In recent times, it has been recognized for its cultural heritage. We overfly the [TV Tower], the [Cathedral], and the [Mosque].

We land at Pécs Airport (LHPP).

Shortly after take-off, we reach [Siklos Castle]. The castle was built by Baron János György Benyó and was first mentioned in a charter from 1294. The oldest building is in the southern part of the residential wing. The castle also houses a chapel built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was owned by the Benyóvszky de Siklósvar branch of the family until it was nationalized in 1948. In World War II the castle was heavily damaged, and between the end of the war and the death of Count Rudólf II Benyóvszky de Siklósvar in 1955, it was taken over by the state. In 1955 archaeological research and restoration was started, and the castle began operating as a museum and hotel.

We now cross into Croatia and land at Klisa (LDOS).  After departure, we overfly the [Vukovar Water Tower] and turn west.  

In the summer of 1991, Ethnic Serbs in Vukovar were subjected to forced interrogations, kidnappings, and summary executions in addition to having their homes and cafes blown up. NGOs in the city stated that a total of 86 Serbs were killed or disappeared. Serbs have long voiced their concerns about the crimes committed against them in the months before the JNA took over the town after its fall in November of that year and the lack of accountability for the perpetrators. The matter has remained unresolved. The Battle of Vukovar began on 25 August 1991 and lasted until 18 November 1991. During the battle for the town, 1,800 self-organized lightly armed defenders and civilian volunteers (the army of Croatia was still in its infancy at this time) defended the city for 87 days against approximately 36,000 troops of the Serb-dominated JNA equipped with heavy armor and artillery who lost 110 vehicles and tanks and dozens of planes during the battle. The city suffered heavy damage during the siege and was eventually overrun. It is estimated that 1,800 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 civilians were forced into exile. Several war crimes were committed by Serb forces after the battle, including the Vukovar massacre of up to 264 wounded patients and medical staff, taken from the Vukovar hospital. The damage to Vukovar during the siege has been called the worst in Europe since World War II, drawing comparisons with Stalingrad. The city's water tower, riddled with bullet holes, was retained by city planners to serve as a testimony to the events of the early 1990s. When the main portion of the RSK was defeated in 1995 Operation Storm a new agreement was reached for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Vukovar and the rest of the Croatian Podunavlje area known as the Erdut Agreement. The agreement led to the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) which effectively governed the region from its seat in Vukovar until 1998 when the region was fully reintegrated into Croatia. UNTAES headquarters were initially located at the United Nations Protection Force headquarters in Zagreb but the idea of priority of the administration was to move it to eastern Croatia. Croatian Government offered Osijek for that purpose but the administration refused it since it wanted to locate it on the territory under its control leading to the selection of Vukovar. United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Vukovar in early 1996 to express her support for the process of reintegration where she was attacked by the Serbian population with eggs and stones at the local market. UNTAES facilitated reintegration by gradual transition and invitation of Croatian officials so that in late 1996 President of Croatia Franjo Tuđman visited Vukovar for the first time where he participated in the meeting between Serb and Croat delegations. President Tuđman visited Vukovar again on 8 June 1997 in what was known as the Train of Peace.

As a result of the conflict, a deep ethnic divide exists between the Croat and Serb populations. OSCE Mission to Croatia was active in Vukovar and surrounding areas until 2007. 

We turn west again and reach the [Cathedral of Đakovo]. It is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek in Đakovo, Croatia. Đakovo Cathedral is the biggest sacral newly built building of Croatian historicism. The St. Peter Cathedral in Đakovo is the town's most famous landmark and the most important sacral object. The cathedral was built from 1866-1882 under Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who was the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Đakovo and Srijem. The architects of the cathedral are Carl Roesner and Friedrich von Schmidt from Vienna. Fresco paintings depicting scenes from the Old Testament in the nave and the New Testament scenes from the life of St Peter in the chancel were executed by the Roman painters of German origin Alexander Maximillian and Lodovico Seitz, except for two frescoes which were painted by Achille Ansiglioni. The scenes from the life of St Peter were partially made according to the drawings created for Đakovo Cathedral by one of the leading Nazarene painters Friedrich Overbeck. The landscaped park from the 19th century near the bishop's palace is a horticultural monument under special protection as well as the nearby Small Park (Mali Park) dating from the turn of the 19th/20th century. Đakovo Cathedral was built in 4 years, and another 12 years were spent decorating the inside.

Turning south we cross the River Save and reach Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The first POI is the [Brčko City Hall]. Brčko was a geographic point of contention in 1996 when the U.S.-led Implementation Force (IFOR) built Camp McGovern on the outskirts of the city. Camp McGovern was built to establish peacekeeping operations. The mission was to separate the forming warring factions. The ZOS was one kilometer wide of no man's land, where special permission was required for Serbian or Bosnian forces to enter. Various checkpoints and observation points (OP's) were established to control the separation. Although Brčko was a focal point for tension in the late 1990s, considerable progress in multi-ethnic integration in Brčko has since occurred including integration of secondary schooling. Reconstruction efforts and the Property Law Implementation Plan have improved the situation regarding property and return. Today, Brčko has returned to a strategic transshipment point along the Sava River. The population of Brčko has not returned to its pre-war ethnic mix of Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats. Brčko sits at the east–west apex of Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb portion of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and as such is critical to the RS for its economic future. Brčko was one of the main points discussed in the Dayton Peace Accords. After several weeks of intensive negotiation, the issue of Brčko was to be decided by international arbitration. Brčko Arbitration ruled in May 1997 that Brčko would be a special district managed by an ambassadorial representative from the international community. The first Ambassador to Brčko was an American with support staff from the UK, Sweden, Denmark & France. On 23 May 2012, it was decided to suspend, not terminate, the mandate of the Brčko International Supervisor. Brčko Arbitral Tribunal, together with the suspended Brčko Supervision, will continue to exist.

Next, we reach [Srebrenik Fortress].  It was subject to a constant change of importance and neglect until it was finally abandoned in 1835. Only the Mosque was still maintained after that date.

We turn north and reach [Brod Fortress], Croatia, directly at the border between Bosnia and Herzegowina and Croatia. It was built in the period between 1715 and 1780 as a  large imperial and royal border Fortress of Brod on the Sava River, which along with the fortified baroque towns of Slavonia, namely Osijek and Stara Gradiška, belongs to the great defense system on the border towards the Turkish Empire, designed by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the first half of the 18th century. It was constructed by peasants of the Military Border under forced labor more specifically 634 a day, who also gave 53 horse-drawn carts daily for the transport of material. The regular star-like form of the fortress was determined by the flat country. It was built of rammed earth, bricks, wood, and partially stone, and designed for the accommodation of 4,000 soldiers, mostly infantry and 150 cannons. Due to the rapid development of siege techniques, the Brod Fortress lost its defensive task already by the mid-19th century. From that point onwards, Brod on the Sava River started its intensive development, while the old wooden Brod started to disappear. The devastation of the Brod Fortress continues throughout the 20th century. Some objects were destroyed by the army as useless, while the abandoned and unsustainable buildings were caved in and dilapidated. In the period from 1945 up until the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s, the Fortress serves as accommodation for the soldiers of the National Army of Yugoslavia. Today the Fortress of Brod, a cultural heritage site and the unique and monumental example of the 18th-century Slavonian military fortification architecture, belongs to the city of Slavonski Brod, decidedly initiating its revitalization.

We land at  Jelas (LDOR), Croatia,  and continue to  Banja Luka (LQBK), Bosnia and Herzegowina, today’s destination.

The flight has 400 miles and 9 landings. We want to cruise at about 200 knots. I will be in the C414, please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.

There are some add-ons available:

We used the freeware Hungary VFR before, it is available at ORBX. Also at ORBX, you can download the Hungary VFR – Landmarks. The freeware enhances Hungary in many ways, but to avoid double buildings you want to uninstall/deselect sightseeing pecs city.

Banja Luka is an enhanced airport. But there is a freeware available:

LQBK - Banja Luka Medjunarodni Aerodrom V.1.5 for Microsoft Flight Simulator | MSFS

 

Recommended Departure time is 2:00 PM local

Particulars:

•           Date and time: Wednesday, August 9, 18:00 UTC
•           https://discord.gg/cgNm9Fh3
•           MFS Multiplayer: US Eastcoast Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!