The Slovenes have lived in Vas County since the 6th Century. The ancestors of today’s minority lived either in Slovenia or on the Hungarian side of the border. As far as we know they settled down in the Carpathian Basin earlier than any other nations. The new borders separated the ethnic group form their mother country and therefore the vast majority melted into the Hungarian nation by the end of the Árpáds’ Age (14th Century). Those preserving their language and ethnic identity have called themselves Slovenes ever since. Hungarians referred to them as ’tót’, ’vendus-tót’ or ’the Vend’- names that were used as synonyms for Slovenes before the Paris Treaties after World War I (1920). These names today, however, still have a rather pejorative implication.

The Slovenes have been a minority as early as the foundation of the Hungarian state. They shared the fate of the majority (Hungarians) and other minorities throughout history. Ottoman forces destroyed their villages at the battle of Szentgotthárd (1660). Overpopulation on an unfertile ground, lack of developed industrial areas and the law of succession forced them into seasonal labour from the 19th century up until the 1970s. Poverty and hardship forced lots of them to immigrate to the USA, to other European countries or other parts of Hungary. After World War I, they could have been re-annexed to Slovenia, however, border-lines were drawn at the water-collector areas of the rivers Rába and Mura, therefore there are nine municipalities “left behind” grouped around the town of Szentgotthárd and living in minority.

The overwhelming majority live in Szentgotthárd and the adjacent Rábatótfalu and there are seven other villages with a considerable Slovene population: Felsőszölnök, Alsószölnök, Szakonyfalu, Apátistvánfalva, Kétvölgy and Orfalu. Their cultural and spiritual centre is Szentgotthárd. Sporadic Slovene minorities can also be found in Szombathely, Mosonmagyaróvár and Budapest.

The Hungarian Slovenes constitute 0.9% of Vas County’s population, which makes them the smallest minority therefore their global economic or social influence is not very significant. They are of key regional importance as regional development is becoming more and more intense. The minority plays a crucial role in the establishment of cultural relations with Slovenia.

The number of Slovene inhabitants in these seven municipalities decreased until 1990 and the population either grew older or moved away. After the transition to democracy, the positive changes encouraged young Slovenes to stay. According to a census relying on data gathered by minority self-governments, there are approximately 5000 Slovenian people living in the county.

They live in small villages with fewer than 1000 inhabitants having to put up with the drawbacks of unfertile soil, unfavourable land structures and underdeveloped infrastructure. As far as transport is concerned, there are only coaches available as the next railroad station is in Szentgotthárd. This corner of the county has the least favourable economic conditions. 80-90% of the working population commute to factories operating in Szentgotthárd, and only a mere 20-50 people are employed locally by various institutions and the service sector.

In comparison with both county and national figures, the villages in the vicinity of Szentgotthárd are economically lagging behind. The government did not develop these areas because of political reasons and their natural means of transport and communication (border crossing points, road and railroad connections) are geographically impenetrable. The only way out of this economic misery could be by establishing intense relations, considering the fact that the area is located in beautiful scenery and is close to the more developed Burgenland and Slovenia.

When analysing the composition of employment, we can see that the vast majority of the Slovenes live off wages; while agriculture and stockbreeding serves mainly individual needs. The majority of Slovene farmers cultivate their own land. Their possession and income situation resembles those found in villages with similar structures. However, with the rapid swift of Szentgotthárd’s industrial activities, the number of unemployed among the Slovenes has risen considerably.

The Slovenes in Hungary have very few economic facilities of their own that could produce a safe income for the minority. The sawmill working in Apátistvánfalva supports both forestry and woodworking. The mother country has recently provided support for fruit growing, the planting of apple-trees and crop parching. Investments in the field of tourism, i.e. the cross-border Őrség - Rába - Goričkó Nature Park could bring about economic development.

Foreign companies operating in the Szentgotthárd Industrial Park provide jobs for several highly skilled Hungarian Slovenes. Their economic relations with Slovenia and Austria are getting more and more intense on a regional level.

Their interests are represented by the Alliance of Hungarian Slovenes, the National Slovene Self-Government, elected in 1994, and the self-governments in the ten municipalities (Felsőszölnök, Alsószölnök, Szakonyfalu, Rábatótfalu, Apátistvánfalva, Kétvölgy, Orfalu, Szombathely, Mosonmagyaróvár and the 18th district of Budapest) elected both in 1994 and 1998. The Minority and Foreign Affairs’ Committee of Vas County’s Assembly has Slovene delegates, besides representatives of the other three key minorities. Slovene minority leaders are not typically linked to any parties.

The Slovene Association has been operating for 10 years in Budapest; the Ágoston Pável Slovenian Cultural Association in Szombathely for two years.

The Alliance of Hungarian Slovenes, the National Slovenian Self-Government, with its seat in Felsőszölnök, and the self-governments in the municipalities all have direct relations with Slovene NGOs, the Consulate in Szentgotthárd and the Slovene Embassy in Budapest
For the Slovenes, it was the church, apart from the families, that played the most important role in preserving their mother tongue.

Six kindergartens offer pre-school education in Slovene language (Apátistvánfalva, Alsószölnök, Felsőszölnök, Szakonyfalu, Rábatótfalu, Szentgotthárd), and there are language classes available in every primary school. Felsőszölnök offers complementary courses on a more advanced level, while the Vörösmarty Secondary Grammar School in Szentgotthárd has language classes for secondary school pupils. Teachers are trained at the Slavonic Department of Dániel Berzsenyi College, Szombathely. The department employs native speaker professors.
Every municipality has groups involved in cultural activities, for example, the Puppet Theatre Ensemble, the Dance Group and the Mixed Choir in Felsőszölnök, the Female Quartet in Rábatótfalu, László Korpics and his Orchestra, the Female Choirs of Apátistvánfalva and Szentgotthárd, and the Nindrik-Indrik Theatric Ensemble in Szentgotthárd.

Each and every village has a library. Since the autumn of 2000, the library-van of the Regional Library of Muraszombat has been in operation to visit the he readers of Felsőszölnök, Szentgotthárd and Apátistvánfalva every three weeks.

The Association of Hungarian Slovenes publishes the Porabje magazine, which appears every second week written in both the local dialect and in standard Slovenian. Radio Monoster, the Slovene radio station in Szentgotthárd, established in cooperation of the Association and the National Slovene Self-Government on 23 June 2000, broadcasts 8 hours of radio programme every week.

The Slovene Cultural and Informational Centre, built in 1998, houses the radio, which is the building’s most important dweller. The Chief Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia opened its gates in the same year.

The Slovene minority’s relations to their home country are many-fold ranging from lobby-organisations, cultural groups to family relations. Apart from interpersonal relations, however, economic links are also necessary to establish. The vast majority of the inhabitants in the villages around Szentgotthárd should work on the setting up of joint Hungarian-Slovenian enterprises. Their local employment and the opportunity to use their mother tongue at their work place would by all means bolster their identity and slow their assimilation down.