The Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park is an

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

Hungarian history Hungary in its modern (post-1946) borders roughly corresponds to the Great Hungarian Plain (the Pannonian Basin). During the Iron Age, it was located at the crossroads between the cultural spheres of the Celtic tribes (such as the Scordisci, Boii ...

Ópusztaszer Ópusztaszer (till 1974 Sövényháza) is a village in Csongrád county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. It is most known as the location of the Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park. Geography It covers an area of and ha ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. It was established in 1982 and is most famous for being the location of the Feszty Panorama, a

cyclorama A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make vie ...

Árpád Feszty Árpád Feszty (; 21 December 1856 – 1 June 1914) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian Painting, painter. He was born in the town of Ógyalla (then Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867), Hungary, now Hurbanovo, Slovakia). His ancestors were Ger ...

and his assistants, depicting the beginning of the

Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, also known as the Hungarian conquest or the Hungarian land-taking (), was a series of historical events ending with the settlement of the Hungarians in Central Europe in the late 9th and early 10t ...

in 895. The painting was completed in 1894 for the 1000th anniversary of the event. The park is also home to various indoor and outdoor exhibits, focusing on the

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

history of ancient and early-modern Hungary in an immersive and engaging manner. Ópusztaszer rotunda

In the 1970s, a decision was made to build a heritage park in

Csongrád County Csongrád ( ro, Ciongrad; tr, Conğrad sr, Чонград, Čongrad, archaically also ''Црноград/Crnograd'') is a town in Csongrád County in southern Hungary. History At the time of the Hungarian Conquest (the end of 9th century) the ...

. Restoration of the '' Arrival of the Hungarians'' painting and the construction of a new rotunda for the famous cyclorama began. Construction stopped in 1979 and parts of the canvas were again rolled up, and stored away. In 1991, a group of Polish

art conservation The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...

ists won the contract for a new restoration. Since 1995 the cyclorama has been on permanent display, together with artificial terrain and hidden speakers playing sound effects. It is the main attraction of the Ópusztaszer national heritage park.

The Rotunda

The Rotunda houses the famous Feszty Panorama, the '' Arrival of the Hungarians'', which was originally completed on May 13, 1894. The cyclorama measures 15 meters tall and 120 meters long, forming a

panorama A panorama (formed from Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film, seismic images, or 3D modeling. The word was originally coined in ...

painting with a 38-meter diameter. It is one of only 16

s in existence worldwide, making the painting an exceptionally rare work of art. The painting depicts the beginning of the

Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin The Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, also known as the Hungarian conquest or the Hungarian land-taking (), was a series of historical events ending with the settlement of the Hungarians in Central Europe in the late 9th and early 10t ...

, commemorating the event which took place over 1000 years prior to painting's first exhibition in 1894. The cyclorama depicts various scenes from this initial conquest, including the arrival of the

Seven Chieftains of the Magyars The Seven chieftains of the Magyars (or Hungarians) were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians at the time of their arrival in the Carpathian Basin in AD 895. Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire names the seven tribes i ...

, and the sacrifice of a white horse by the

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

high priest, or ''

Táltos The táltos (; also "tátos") is a figure in Hungarian mythology, a person with supernatural power similar to a shaman. Description The most reliable account of the táltos is given by Roman Catholic priest Arnold Ipolyi in his collection of fo ...

''. The cyclorama was painted by

from 1892 to 1894, with the help of many assistants and fellow artists. Notably, the landscape was painted in large part by

László Mednyánszky Baron László Mednyánszky or ''Ladislaus Josephus Balthasar Eustachius Mednyánszky'' ( sk, Ladislav Medňanský) (23 April 1852 – 17 April 1919), a Slovak- Hungarian painter-philosopher, is one of the most enigmatic figures in the history ...

, and equestrian battle scenes were painted with the help of

Pál Vágó Pál Vágó (6 June 1853, Jászapáti - 15 October 1928, Budapest) was a Hungarian painter, known for his historical scenes and cycloramas. Biography His father was a minor government official who died when Pál was still a small child. He or ...

. The Rotunda contains many other permanent exhibitions, including the following: * Panoramas of the World: A display of 34 nineteenth century panoramas, from the golden age of panoramic photography. * Panoptics: Wax figures of 22 notable Hungarian historical figures. * The Promenade: An exhibition of small town and big city life in the nineteenth century, and the golden age of the

Austro-Hungarian Monarchy Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...

. * History of the Park: An introduction to the park's history. * The Monastery of Szer: A look at life in the Szer monastery which formerly stood where the park currently does, through the lens of artifacts and archaeological remains. * Family of Peoples: An

display, looking at the

Finno-Ugric countries The Finno-Ugric countries are the three independent nation states with a national majority that speaks a Finno-Ugric language: Finland and Estonia, which are inhabited by Baltic Finnic peoples, and Hungary, which is majority Magyar. The three count ...

as a whole. In 2013, the remains of a 15 x 120 meter cyclorama painted in 1898 was put on display in the Rotunda. The cyclorama, entitled '' Transylvanian Panorama'' depicts the Battle of

Nagyszeben Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

, during the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although th ...

Outdoor Exhibitions

Open Air Ethnographic Collection

The Ópusztaszer open air ethnographic collection is one of Hungary's village museums. The village has been open since its conception in 1978, and it is home to 19 historical buildings and 3 open air exhibits. The collection of historical buildings introduces the visitor to Hungary's wide range of landscapes and architectural styles. The village also houses a collection of vehicles and agricultural equipment.

"Forest and Man" Collection

The "Forest and Man" collection is found in a pine pavilion reminiscent of a yurt. The collection explores the relationship between humans, forests, and trees.

Nomad Park

The "Nomad Park" recreates world of the

Eurasian steppes The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistria ...

, complete with yurts and interactive displays. The park includes a live horse show which features horses and riders in early Magyar costume, and playing hunting games that were popular with the Early Magyar peoples.

Ruins

This area presents the uncovered ruins of the monastery of Szer, which was unearthed in 1970.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:National Historical Memorial Park of Opusztaszer Buildings and structures in Csongrád-Csanád County History museums in Hungary Open-air museums in Hungary Tourist attractions in Csongrád-Csanád County