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| Children learn about heraldry at the National Archives during Cultural Heritage Days, when important buildings - some normally inaccessible to the public ? open their doors to everybody. Some 650 venues in 260 cities and towns across the country participated in the event. Photo: Zsolt Szigetváry (MTI) |
The weekend event, held on September 15-16, involved the participation of some 650 venues in 260 cities and towns around the country.
Among the biggest attractions in Budapest were the Sándor Palace (5,000 visitors), the Festetics Palace (2,000 visitors) and the Hungarian National Archives (3,000 visitors).
Cultural Heritage Days, or Open Doors Days, has been organised by Hungary's Office of Cultural Heritage Protection for the past ten years. It marks Hungary's contribution to European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Each year the office picks a special theme, such as museums, schools, parks, cemeteries or Art Nouveau buildings. The theme last year, which was the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, was Socialist Realism. This year the theme was classicist architecture during the reform period of 1825-1848. However, the office also acknowledged the 800th anniversary of the birth of Saint Elisabeth of the Árpád Dynasty and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Count Lajos Batthyány.
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| Visitors at the headquarters of Hungarian Transmission System Operator MAVIR during Cultural Heritage Days. |
This year's European Cultural Days also included a new initiative, called City Mission, which focused on sacral architecture. Churches and other religious buildings around the city were open late into the evening on Saturday, and religious leaders from around the world were invited to participate in events connected to City Mission in Budapest.
The theme for next year's Cultural Heritage Days, slated for September 20-21, will be the Renaissance.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
