The Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park is an

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

of Hungarian history in

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 h ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

. 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 view ...

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 study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

history of ancient and early-modern Hungary in an immersive and engaging manner. In the 1970s, a decision was made to build a heritage park in

Csongrád County Csongrád (; , 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 Maros Valley was under Bulgarian control. The fortre ...

. 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 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 language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...

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, and the sacrifice of a white horse by the

pagan Paganism (, 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 Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

high priest, called a ''

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 fol ...

''. 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, also known by his Latinized name Ladislaus Josephus Balthasar Eustachius Mednyánszky (; 23 April 1852 – 17 April 1919), was a Slovaks, Slovak–Hungarians, Hungarian painter and philosopher, considered one of the ...

, and equestrian battle scenes were painted with the help of Pál Vágó. 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, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. * 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 peoples 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, during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49.

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 the world of the

Eurasian steppes The Eurasian Steppe, also 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 Manchuria, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Euro ...

, 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

* Buildings and structures in Csongrád-Csanád County History museums in Hungary Open-air museums in Hungary Tourist attractions in Csongrád-Csanád County {{Coord, 46, 29, 22.17, N, 20, 5, 46.33, E, display=title