The Jászberény 3 and Nagybajom 2 groups arrived in Bükfürdő at the Hunguest Hotel Bük to start the final joint camp of their nine-year period. The memories of nine years of camping came back to life during the evening conversations. During the week, we will explore many locations and sights of historical Hungary. We will visit downtown Vienna, then view the Schönbrunn Palace and the Castle of Riegersburg. We will take an excursion to the area around Lake Neusiedl, to the city of Sopron, and last but not least, we will get to know the production processes of Zotter chocolates while tasting many sweet treats.
Day 1:
“On Monday, we visited Vienna, where after a short metro ride, we found ourselves in the center of the city. From the very first moment, we were captivated by the elegant atmosphere of the city, the beautiful historical buildings, and the clean, orderly streets. We walked around downtown and admired the Parliament building in Vienna, which bears the stylistic elements of ancient Greek architecture, with the statue of Pallas Athena standing in front of it. It was characterized by monumental columns and an ornate facade, where the Austrian legislature still operates today. We admired St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which is one of the most famous symbols of Vienna. We particularly liked its colorful tiled roof and its 136-meter-high south tower. We also viewed the main building of the University of Vienna, which was founded in 1365, making it one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking world. We walked over to the nearby Votivkirche, which was built in an impressive Neo-Gothic style. Its two slender, 99-meter-high towers and richly decorated facade had a particularly strong impact on us. We learned many interesting things about the history of Vienna. The most memorable part of our trip was the visit to Schönbrunn Palace. This is the former summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, consisting of more than 1,400 rooms, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were deeply impressed by the beauty of the palace, the ornate halls, and the huge, carefully maintained park. We especially liked that walking through the garden, we made it up to the Gloriette, from where there was a wonderful view of Vienna, and a truly special atmosphere surrounded us. This trip was an unforgettable experience for us. We returned to our accommodation with many beautiful memories, and we would gladly visit Vienna again in the future.”
– Eszter Pálfi, Nagybajom 2 group
Day 2:
“On Tuesday, the team visited Riegersburg, where we first viewed the Zotter chocolate factory. We started with a short film from which we could learn where the raw materials come from. We learned that the factory pays enormous attention to sustainable sourcing and the environmental footprint of transportation. They buy directly from smallholders, thus saying no to global market traders. In addition, they pay special attention to manufacturing conditions: 60% of the factory’s energy needs and 100% of the associated visitor center’s are covered by their own renewable sources. During the factory tour, we could taste more than 200 flavors, sometimes in solid and sometimes in liquid form. After the exciting and information-filled visit, we set off and headed toward Riegersburg Castle. Here we viewed one of Austria’s most spectacular fortifications, built on a basalt rock of a 482-meter-high extinct volcano, so the castle remained completely impregnable even during the Turkish conquests. Walking between the walls, we also learned exciting secrets about the former inhabitants of the castle. We learned that in the 17th century, an extremely iron-fisted woman, Elisabeth Katharina, referred to as the ‘bad Duchess Galler,’ ruled the fortress, who even chased away her own husbands if they disobeyed her. But the castle was also home to the famous ‘flower witch,’ Katharina, who was put on trial during the Styrian witch trials because, due to her special horticultural knowledge, she was able to make flowers bloom even in winter, which the superstitious locals believed to be black magic.”
– Evelin Kiss, Jászberény 3 group
Day 3:
“An eventful day awaited us on Wednesday. Our path led to Oberpullendorf, where we took the controls. We set off on handcars along the old railway line, covering a total of 23 kilometers. During the journey, we not only put our strength and endurance to the test, but we could also admire the beautiful natural landscapes of Burgenland, the green fields, forests, and vineyards. It was a special experience that we had to operate several railway barriers ourselves, giving us a little insight into the workings of railway transport. Halfway through, a delicious lunch awaited us, after which we rested off our tiredness with refreshing ice cream and a slice of cake. The good mood remained throughout the entire journey: we laughed a lot, encouraged each other, and overcame the harder sections together. At the end of the program, we returned to our accommodation, where a filling dinner followed. We spent the evening playing board games, which provided a great opportunity to unwind and recall our shared experiences. After the meaningful day, everyone happily went to sleep so that new adventures could await us the next day.”
– Milán Vajda, Nagybajom 2 group
Day 4:
“For me, one of the most special days of the camp was Thursday, when we stepped among the significant heritage of Hungarian history and architecture. We set off early in the morning: our first stop was the Esterházy Palace in Fertőd, and the second was the Széchényi Estate in Nagycenk. The Baroque splendor of the former and the Neoclassical dignity of the latter constitute the most valuable layers of our past. When one enters these buildings, and indeed often even their gardens, one tends to believe that this is a world infinitely distant from us, merely a museum piece, perhaps cold. Because of this too, as I walked through the halls of the palaces, the following question arose in me: what does this cultural heritage mean to me, a 21st-century Roma youth from the Jászság region? I found the answer in Nagycenk, in one of the exhibition halls of the Széchényi Palace, where I stood in front of a huge, branching family tree. I myself have been researching my own family tree for years; there are branches I managed to trace back to the end of the 1700s, but certain ones only to the beginning of the 1800s. Studying the count’s family tree on the wall, I was reminded of my own relatives, now known only by name. Those ancestors of mine whose marriage certificates I spent nights researching, whose baptismal entries I read, and those blacksmith or musician ancestors of whose craft and everyday work I learned. I realized that the Esterházy and Széchényi palaces are not foreign to me: these walls showed precisely how and in what historical period my own ancestors lived, worked, and created one or two hundred years ago. I experienced the exact same thing at the end of the day in the castle district of Sopron, where walking on the cobblestones and looking out over the historic part of the city from the Firewatch Tower, I felt the connection with the generations my hands had not reached until now. The city connected the past with my present, the forgotten everyday life of my family with the laughter of my ‘Csányi’ peers. I stood there in one of the most historical corners of the country, in our last joint summer camp, not as a stranger, but having found my place. Remembering, arriving, and connected by a thousand threads.”
– Gyula Pege, Jászberény 3 group
Day 5:
We closed our final day at our accommodation, where we could use the services of the Hotel wellness and the Bükfürdő beach all day. The closure of our camp in the Guardland (Őrvidék) marks the end of our 9-year joint camping period, during which we were able to enrich our knowledge through many thematic sessions and places of local history and heritage. From now on, as junior mentors, we will continue to help our younger “Csányi” peers during camp periods as well. We thank the Foundation for the opportunity to explore our historical culture together over the past years. We thank Hunguest Hotel Bük for the support!