Okay, we all love B-town, but the sun’s out, the summer has finally realized that it’s supposed to be the hot season, not the rainy-windy one, so we decided to treat ourselves to some fine countryside roaming, this time to the cultural capital of Magyar sea, Balatonfüred.
We should level with you, it wasn’t without purpose. The newly restored Vaszary villa opened this spring, reminiscent of a towering fairy-tale palace and full of artfully arranged artwork. We caught up with András Doncsev, CEO of Füredkult, the organization spearheading the project…
The villa was built for Archbishop Kolos Vaszary in the late 19th century. During the 20th century’s troubled history, the building went through tough times. Can you tell us a bit about the journey that led to the renovation, which gave the villa back its old glory?
During the Soviet times, it was a holiday home for officers, there’s a rumor that even Leonid Breznhev spent his summer days here. The villa looked pretty worn-down, the Soviets built an extra wing to the original design, made of concrete of course, that made the whole building complex look like a military shelter. Dubbed ‘the concrete sarcophagus’, the socialist style block was torn down during the renovation; even the locals were surprised at the little gem they had hiding under the ugly concrete fort. In 2007, local authorities applied for EU funds to create a cultural community space in the villa. They won a 90% funding, nearly 2 billion (1.7 billion in fact) HUF; that’s the largest EU reconstruction in the North Balaton region. Visitors can actually watch a short film about the reconstruction process in the villa.
Can you tell us a bit about the current exhibitions and the summer schedule?
Our project builds on three pillars: exhibitions, events and museum pedagogy. So we plan our schedule accordingly. We’ve got painter János Vaszary’s exhibition running at the moment, who was a cousin of the archbishop; the Szomolányi Collection, which contains applied and fine art works of exceptional beauty from the Déri Museum in Debrecen; and contemporary painter István Nádler’s works entitled ‘The Artist of Gesture’.
What’s been the most popular so far?
Both among locals and tourists, besides the wonderful exhibitions, it’s actually the building itself. We have an online guest book, where we welcome any comments, feedback, or ideas.
Are there any events specifically designed for foreigners?
Well, first of all, all our exhibitions are foreigner-friendly as they’re bilingual (English-Hungarian). We’ve got tours in English (or other languages on demand), and our staff can speak several languages. For foreigners, apart from the running exhibitions, I’d recommend the concerts and starting this fall, there’ll be a video installation exhibition called ‘The German Unit at Balaton’ displaying moments from Germans’ summer holidays here in the 1990s. It’s in cooperation with the Berlin Hungarian Institute. There’ll be a series of events connected to this exhibition.
What about events for the whole family?
We’re very proud of our museum pedagogy workshops every Saturday, which are great fun for the little ones.
There’s a powerhouse behind the Vaszary Villa project…
Right. It’s called the Vaszary Szalon and it includes respected members of our community; actors, opera singers, conductors, museum leaders and even Hungary’s ex first lady, Dalma Mádl is involved. With their networks and ideas, they help the villa to be used to its full potential.
Vaszary Villa Summer Selection:
Every Saturday – Vaszary Villa For Kids series from 10 a.m.
Jul. 16 – Rendezvous of Artists series – Endre Hegedűs – Violin Night at 8 p.m.
Jul. 24 – Opening of the Zsolnay Porcelain Exhibition (Entry Free!)
Jul. 25 – Rendezvous of Artists series – Anna Ball – Solo Night of Ferenc Snétberger
Jul. 29 – Rendezvous of Artists series – Graffiti (Special guest: Animal Cannibals)
Jul. 30 – The Nightingale of The Nation – Blaha Lujza Literary Night by Ildikó Pécsi
Jul. 31 – Married Discourse at the Piano – Endre Hegedűs and Katica Hegedűs Piano Night
Aug. 14 – Concert by Erika Miklósa and friends
Aug. 14 – Night at the Museum (10 p.m. – midnight): tours, wine tasting and star watching
Aug. 20 – Inner Light – Tamás Érdi Piano Concert
Aug. 21 – Historical Games – fun for kids
Aug. 21 – Endre Hegedűs Piano Night
Vaszary Villa
8230 Balatonfüred, Honvéd utca 2.
Open: Tues.-Thurs.,
Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,
Fri.-Sat. noon-8 p.m.,
Mondays closed
www.vaszaryvilla.hu