Szent-Györgyi’s Journey Back to Hungary

Farewell to Sweden

A group photo captures the Szent-Györgyi family’s final moments in Sweden, smiling as they bid farewell at the Gothenburg train station accompanied by one of their hosts, pictured on the right. The date was December 15, the second day of their brief visit to Gothenburg. From there, they traveled to Esbjerg, Denmark’s largest port city on the North Sea, where they boarded a ship bound for the United Kingdom. The whole family traveled to Cambridge together, where the parents parted with their daughter, who was a freshman at the university, with her winter break coming up.

A well-deserved respite in the French Alps

The couple’s next destination was the French Alps, which promised to be the perfect place to finally catch their breath after a fast-paced, exhausting few days. “I’ve never longed for rest as much as I do now, being especially keen to wander among the pristine white mountains, soaking in the fresh air and the beauty of nature,” Szent-György wrote to his father-in-law (as quoted in the newspaper Nemzet on December 18, 1937). Their daughter also joined them on the winter vacation, though she also spent time in Oberburg, Switzerland in the company of others. Further details about the couple’s time in the mountains are revealed in another letter Szent-Györgyi addressed to his father-in-law, Retired Secretary of State Károly Demény, at 3 Napos út, Budapest (with a transcription published in the daily Délmagyarország on January 4, 1938). Both letters were transcribed by a correspondent for Délmagyarország, who visited the Demény family in person. It is also known that the second letter was mailed from Beaufort, a small town at the foothills of Mont Blanc. “We really needed this rest. We ski all day; the weather is excellent, and the snow is just beautiful. In some places, it is a meter and a half deep, and day after day, we explore vast areas.” However, there is a lingering sense that the couple had not yet fully shaken off the effects of the Stockholm celebrations: “These were unforgettable, beautiful, dreamlike days. It’s impossible to describe the splendor that surrounded us there. When we return home, we’ll talk a lot more about everything.” Szent-Györgyi also noted that they would stay until mid-January before returning to Budapest via Vienna. For some reason, however, they left for home earlier than expected, departing in early January.

The story of a winter day – Siófok, Hungary, January 7, 1938

A photograph showing Szent-Györgyi and his wife in casual attire, standing outside an inn called Paprika Csárda alongside several unknown individuals, sheds light on an intriguing moment from their journey back to Hungary. By a stroke of luck, the newspaper article that originally featured this photograph as an illustration has also survived. In its January 12, 1938 issue, the weekly Balatoni Kurír reported that, during their journey home from skiing, the couple decided to visit Lake Balaton to experience the great Hungarian lake’s winter beauty. Both sports enthusiasts, they were inspired to make the detour after coming across Hungarian press reports about the region’s ongoing winter sports season. Although they had vacationed by Lake Balaton – often referred to as “the Hungarian sea” – many times and in various locations, they had never been there in the winter. On the eve of Epiphany, they arrived at Lake Balaton, making their way to the city of Siófok on the evening express train – and word of the distinguished guests’ arrival spread quickly. The following day, a reporter from Balatoni Kurír spent the entire day with them. This resulted in a vivid account of Professor Szent-Györgyi’s extraordinary adventures on the frozen lake:

“After breakfast at the Paprika Inn, they set out to explore the winter landscape of Lake Balaton, stylishly dressed in their ski outfits. At the shipbuilding yard of the Balaton Shipping Company [Balatoni Hajózási Rt.], a beautiful ice yacht awaited the guests. However, only a short trip was feasible due to the heavy snow that had fallen overnight and the weak wind, which made a longer journey impractical. The renowned scientist, an avid sailing enthusiast himself, found great pleasure in examining the magnificent ice yacht built at the shipyard and spoke highly of it. He was particularly impressed by the sail and the skate assembly, noting with regret that the weak wind prevented them from taking a longer trip. Indeed, the guests had hoped to travel by ice yacht to Fűzfő, where Szent-Györgyi’s brother-in-law, Engineer László Demény, lives. They had even notified him of their arrival by phone. Afterward, under the guidance of Dr. Károly Lukács, the fisheries director, they visited the fisheries museum and aquarium. Then they participated in some ice fishing going on between the villages Balatonszabadi and Világos. First, they watched with interest the rope work of the ‘cibés’ crew (under-ice fishermen) before Professor Szent-Györgyi joined the team under the expert guidance of Dr. Károly Lukács. He took over the push fork used to control the net-pulling rod from the ‘vezeres’ (the person guiding the rod) and skillfully maneuvered it beneath the ice. Within minutes, he was able to guide the rod so precisely that there was no need to use the ‘gemics’ (searching hook) at the next fishing hole. When the ends of the net came together at the lifting hole, the couple, along with the others, eagerly awaited the result. As a matter of fact, it seems that our distinguished scientist brought good fortune to the fishermen, as they had a magnificent catch. The net yielded beautiful 4-to-5-kilogram zanders, one after the other, along with a few 14-to-15-kilogram leather carps, whose enormous golden-yellow bodies resembled those of goldfish. After the successful ice-fishing trip, on which the guests were also joined by Engineer László Demény, who had arrived by car from Fűzfő in the meantime, Dr. Károly Lukács hosted Szent-Györgyi and his wife. Later, in the afternoon, the guests drove by car to Fűzfő. In the evening, they returned to Siófok and spent a very pleasant – and, as the world-renowned professor said – unforgettable evening at the Paprika Inn. They then returned to the Balaton Hotel to relax after their exhausting day.”

The next day, Szent-Györgyi and his wife took the morning express train to Budapest and returned to Szeged a few days later.