National Youth Academy of Hungarian Local History Association, Bonyhád
From 14th to 18th August, three of us participated in the 5-day Youth Heritage Academy jointly organised by the Hungarian Local History Association and the Antal Egyed Heritage Association of Tolna County. First we had to get acquainted with a folk tale from our area and then present it to the other participants of the Academy and their companions. Our team made a presentation about the Babás stones on Mount Jakab in the Mecsek, which we supplemented with a short video. In addition to the presentation, the focus was on Tolna County, with a visit to Mór Perczel’s birthplace in Bonyhád, the Völgységi Museum and the important Neologue synagogue of the town’s Jewish community. On Wednesday we had a bus trip around the famous villages and settlements of Tolna: we visited Sándor Petőfi’s childhood home in Sárszentlőrinc, the Serbian monastery in Grábóc, the Wosinsky Mór Museum in Szekszárd and the town hall built by Makovecz in Kakasd. The evenings were also full of activities, with a get-together on the first day, followed by a dance party and a musical farewell party. In our free time, we made a portfolio, which won 2nd place out of 10 teams. It was a great pleasure to build lively relationships with the older generation, and I feel honoured to have heard their stories and their messages, which I have taken to my heart. I would like to thank Dr. Enikő Gesztesi, President of the Antal Egyed Heritage Association of Tolna County, for her excellent organization, support, coordination and organization of the Academy and for giving us the opportunity to spend such a colourful week in Bonyhád. Also, on behalf of our team, I would like to thank our mentor András Gál for coaching us and helping us to deliver our presentation with great success. Zsombor Barkóczy, Pécs Group 2
Students from all over the country and beyond the borders came to present the folk tales of their homeland. On Tuesday, the student recitals began, during which everyone could give a presentation of up to 15 minutes, from which they had prepared. Our group gave a presentation about the special Babás stones, but the other presentations gave me a lot of knowledge and different folk customs from other landscapes, such as the legend of the Tarnai castle, the cucumber from Nagykőrös, or stories about outlaws. The rest of the day was spent on various excursions, we visited Szekszárd, Kölesd, Kakasd, Borjád, where we explored local historical values. During the field trips I learned a lot of interesting facts about Sándor Petőfi, which I will definitely make use of. We concluded the camp with a review and a summary, and decided together what the next academy would be about. Next year, interested students will have to prepare a presentation on natural treasures in their home country. Izabella Varga, Group 2, Pécs
For the second time, I had the pleasure to participate in a local history camp organised by the Association of Local History in Bonyhád. Our task was to introduce a folk tale related to our place of residence and our choice was the Babás stones on the Jakab hill. In the end we came 2nd out of 10 teams. During the 5 days we visited the most notable villages of Tolna County and in the evenings we were treated to very interesting and entertaining programmes, our favourite of which was the performance of Cecil Bogdán and Gábor Kovács, a folk musician and singer. Many thanks to the members of the Association, President Béla Debreczeni-Droppán and Dr. Enikő Gesztesi for allowing us to participate in the camp. Alexandra Zsagár, Pécs Group 2