On October 28, Kaposvár Group 3 visited Budapest during the autumn break.
Just like on a previous occasion, the team arrived in the capital by train, which was an experience in itself for the young people, as they rarely use rail transport. Their mentor, Máté Varga, put it this way: “We didn’t come by a dedicated bus. By taking the train, we managed to get off for about a third of the cost. In the spring, it also turned out that the kids had never even been on a train, let alone visited Budapest or these large museums; they had simply never traveled by train before. For them, even that is virtually a huge experience.”
Arriving at Kelenföld, the group set their sights on the renovated Citadel and the Parliament Building for the day. Their mentor highlighted that although he looks at certain modernization elements with a more critical eye from a historian’s perspective, visiting these attractions still carries unmatched value for the students.
Interactive, immersive experience
At the Citadel, the young people were not passive spectators during the programs, but active shapers of the events. The modern, interactive approach of the exhibitions won the approval even of those students who are not particularly fond of history.
“We had to solve a task during which we searched for envelopes, and from the information inside them, a complete story came together at the end. We shaped the events, we decided our own fate. In the end, there was peace and we won, so that’s the main point.” – Maja Makai
“I really liked the museum, it was interactive and modern. I think it looked really cool how they used artificial intelligence in the exhibition to depict historical figures. During our task, we had to play out a March 15th story, but since we could shape the events, our revolution was ultimately postponed.” – Diána Schmal
The Parliament visit
The next stop was the Parliament Building, which is located on the Pest side, thus requiring public transit as well. Following strict security checks, they toured the building with an audio guide.
“Everything is symmetrical, there are two of everything. It was a beautiful sight; we were also able to look into the old session hall. What caught my fancy the most was the crown and the golden staircase. Around 40 kg of 22–23 karat gold leaf was used to decorate the walls. It was a breathtaking sight.” – Maja Makai
After these extraordinary experiences, a walk in the city center followed, after which the team, pleasantly exhausted, set off back to Kaposvár. Thus, during the autumn break, they managed to gain shared experiences in addition to the usual developmental sessions.