A politician from Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has resigned from a leadership position in its youth organisation after posting a controversial map depicting parts of several European countries, including Hungary, as territory of a unified Germany.
A ‘Greater Germany’ map with territories from Hungary included
Luca Mauritz Strauss, who reportedly used the online alias ‘Helmut’, shared the map on X on 3 October, accompanying it with the statement that German unity meant bringing the entire German people together in a single state. The map depicted Austria and much of Switzerland as part of Germany, alongside areas of France, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Hungary.
In Hungary, the most striking detail was the inclusion of Sopron and its surrounding area in western Hungary. The map also appeared to show smaller German enclaves in parts of Transdanubia associated with the region’s ethnic German communities. The post triggered widespread criticism and was subsequently deleted. Screenshots continued to circulate online, however, and the controversy attracted attention beyond Germany, particularly in France.
🇩🇪 “Back to the Reich?” Germany erupts in controversy over a “Greater Germany” map claiming territories of neighboring countries
Luca Moritz Strauß, a senior figure in the youth wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, posted a map on X depicting a Germany that had absorbed Austria, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, and parts of France, Poland, Italy, and other European countries.
“German unity means a Germany that unites the entire German people in one state,” the politician wrote.
The post sparked outrage in neighboring countries, particularly France, as the map depicted Alsace and Lorraine as German territory.
Following the backlash, Strauß deleted the post and made his X account private.
The AfD youth organization, Generation Germany, later announced that he had voluntarily stepped down from his leadership position.
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 11, 2026
Never miss a headline: join Daily News Hungary’s official WhatsApp channel!
AfD leadership distances itself from the post
According to German media reports, Strauss cited personal reasons for stepping down from his position on the federal committee of Generation Deutschland, the AfD’s youth organisation. The reports also indicated that the party leadership had exerted pressure on him to resign.
Strauss reportedly told German newspaper taz that his intention had been to draw attention to the shared history and common destiny of Germany and Austria. However, the map went considerably further, depicting territory belonging to multiple neighbouring countries as part of a larger German state. The youth organisation’s spokesperson distanced the group from the post, saying that patriotism did not require ‘historical map fantasies’.
AfD politician Torben Braga also offered a blunt assessment when asked why party leaders had not defended Strauss. According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Braga said they had not done so because the post was ‘incredibly stupid’. Following the controversy, Strauss’ X account was reportedly made private or became inaccessible.
More on the EU: Ukraine approves key law on Hungarian minority rights, opening door to EU accession progress
Why the map caused concern in Hungary
The inclusion of Sopron is particularly sensitive in Hungary because of the region’s complicated history and its connection to the country’s post-First World War borders. Sopron and the surrounding area were at the centre of a 1921 plebiscite following the Treaty of Trianon, with the city ultimately remaining part of Hungary.
The map’s depiction of Hungarian territory as part of a unified Germany has therefore drawn attention well beyond an online dispute about historical borders. It also raises questions about the use of historical and ethnic arguments in contemporary nationalist politics.
The controversy has invited comparisons with the rhetoric of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose government has used claims about historical ties and ethnic populations to justify territorial ambitions. However, the available reports do not establish that Strauss’ post represented an official AfD territorial policy.
The episode comes amid continued scrutiny of the AfD, one of Germany’s most prominent political forces, over its nationalist rhetoric and the positions expressed by members of its youth movement. Strauss’ resignation marks a clear distancing by the party from this particular post, although the precise circumstances surrounding his departure have not been fully established in the reports cited.
Read also: Budapest antifa attacker Maja T.’s prison verdict becomes final