The Ópusztaszer (pronounced "oh-poo-stuh-sair") Memorial Park of National History is located in the southern plains of Hungary. It is most famous for displaying the Feszty Panorama, a circular panorama painting depicting the arrival of the ancient Hungarians to the Carpathian Basin in 895. Before I visited the park, I knew little about it aside from this one fact. After spending an afternoon there, I was amazed at how expansive the grounds were and how many different exhibitions and sights there were to see.
Árpád Memorial honoring Árpád, the first ruler of Hungary, and the first organized Hungarian "government" of tribal leaders.
Lions at the entrance to the Árpád Memorial
The park is a site for many historical re-enactments and daily horse shows. We didn't take in any shows, but saw many people in costume and on horses.
Much of the park is devoted to the open-air ethnographic museum which features various 18th and 19th century buildings including many farm houses, windmills, a school, town hall, and a grocer's. Each structure is authentic and was transported to the park from a nearby city or village.
A farm house from Szentes-Magyartés (end of 19th c.) featuring the iconic well of the plains.
Windmill from Dónát (1867)
A dudás (pronounced "doo-dah-sh"), a traditional Hungarian bagpiper, wearing a bunda (pronounced "boon-dah"), another icon of the plains.
The expression to "sleep like a log" in Hungarian is "alszik mint a bunda," literally meaning to "sleep like a fur coat." These special shepherd coats are so thick and heavy they maintain their shape even after someone has laid it on its side. From a distance it may even look like someone is inside, sleeping like a log.
The bell of the farm school
Beside the lake there are the Csete Yurts, designed by György Csete and Jenő Dulánszky.
Each yurt features different exhibitions about the local flora and fauna as well as traditional farming tools and equipment. The yurt that looks like a crown is called the Sequoia House, which houses a cross-section of a California sequoia with important dates in Hungarian history marked on its tree rings.
Designed to mimic the traditional Hungarian yurts, they all let in light from the tall center.
The whole of the interiors are made from handcrafted wood, and the floors are log slices laid like tiles.
traditional farming equipment
Among the yurts is the Church of Forests (1991-1998) which contains a small chapel and holds the Man and the Forests exhibition presenting the history of Hungarian forests and forestry.
Church of Forests
view of the lake from the yurts
Can you find the lizard?
These little crickets were everywhere, hiding in holes around the yurts.
