A controversial map depicting Sopron as part of Germany has triggered a political row in Hungary, with a Tisza Party MP demanding that Fidesz and Mi Hazánk distance themselves from their German far-right allies. The map’s creator has already resigned following the backlash in Germany.
“Sopron is Hungary. Period.” With these words, Anikó Hallerné Nagy, a Tisza Party MP and Deputy Speaker of Hungary’s National Assembly, responded to a controversial map shared by a leading figure in the youth wing of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The map depicted Sopron, a city in western Hungary, as part of Germany, alongside Austria, much of Switzerland and areas of France. The post has since been deleted, and its creator, Luca Moritz Strauß, has stepped down from his position in the AfD’s youth organisation.
In a Facebook post on Monday evening, Nagy called on Fidesz and Mi Hazánk to distance themselves from the German party, pointing to their political ties with the AfD.
‘When will Fidesz and Mi Hazánk distance themselves?’
Nagy accompanied her post with two photographs: one featuring Mi Hazánk leader László Toroczkai and another showing Viktor Orbán alongside AfD leader Alice Weidel.
She highlighted that Mi Hazánk sits in the same European Parliament political group as the AfD, while Fidesz maintains political ties with the German party.
The MP argued that the map could not simply be dismissed as a bad joke, warning against attempts to redraw borders under the pretext of historical justice.
“The history of the 20th century has shown where this kind of map-drawing and suspicion towards neighbouring countries can lead,” she wrote, drawing parallels with the territorial revisionism that preceded the Second World War.
Nagy also outlined Tisza’s foreign policy position, describing it as pro-Western, pro-European and committed to the transatlantic alliance. She argued that Hungary’s security depends on democratic European cooperation, NATO and good relations with neighbouring countries, rather than political movements that entertain ideas about changing borders.
Her central question was direct: when would Fidesz and Mi Hazánk politicians distance themselves from their German allies?
Why Sopron’s history makes the map particularly sensitive
Sopron’s inclusion is especially significant because of the city’s place in Hungarian history. Following the First World War and the Treaty of Trianon, a 1921 plebiscite determined that Sopron and the surrounding area would remain part of Hungary. The city subsequently became known as the City of Loyalty.
Nagy invoked this history in her statement, writing: “Sopron became the City of Loyalty in 1921. It still is today.”
She also pointed to the importance of cross-border cooperation in the region. Thousands of Hungarians travel to Austria every day for work, education, shopping and family visits, she noted, arguing that peaceful relations and open borders should not be taken for granted.
The MP further recalled the 1989 Pan-European Picnic, held near Sopron, which became a landmark in the process leading to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Europe.
Nagy, who has lived in Sopron for 34 years, said strengthening relations with Austria had been one of her priorities since entering parliament. She criticised what she described as the previous government’s neglect of relations with Hungary’s western neighbour.
AfD youth leader resigns after controversial map
The controversy began on 3 October, when Strauß, a figure in the AfD’s youth organisation, published the map depicting an expanded Germany that included territory belonging to several neighbouring countries.
The post attracted criticism and was later deleted. Strauß subsequently resigned from his leadership position in the youth organisation, with reports indicating that AfD leaders had also put pressure on him to step down.
The party’s response suggested that the map had gone beyond what its leadership was prepared to defend. AfD politician Torben Braga reportedly described the post as “incredibly stupid”, while the youth organisation distanced itself from the publication.
The available reports do not establish that the map represented official AfD territorial policy.