Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-07-01 / 11-12. szám
designed for entertaining or rudimentary daily life, but with a twist from the romantic era. From the time of its construction by the Grassalkovich Family, the palace in the early years always hosted political and royal luminaries: for instance in 1751 Maria Theresa visited. Over the years it became a key stage in which Hungarian history was literally written. Here in the spring of 1849, after the victorious battle of Isaszeg, Lajos Kossuth wrote the very We drove past the stadium where Ferencváros plays, but I am told that soccer, the sport of the world is no longer king, but that for real athletic challenges, today you should watch Water Polo. The Hungarian Soccer Federation has been destroyed because of player mediocrity and corruption. Most of the great players left years ago to Germany and other teams around the world. Perhaps we will see in the future the return of glorious Hungary, the team that beat England so many years ago. Palace of Elizabeth The town of Gödöllő was settled over 650 years ago and has perfect charm. Gödöllő is ideally situated about 25 kilometers outside the Capital, but seems like a world away from the hustle of Budapest. You notice the change immediately. King Louis the Great gave the territory to one of his Knights in 1349. Its name Page 4 To the left: Louis Bevilacqua with his mother-in-law and a friend in front of the castle. Above: The building of the famous Agricultural University. Right: The museum building. It was built by Ferenc Hamvay in 1662. Antal Grassalkovich purchased it in 1740 from the Bassanyi family, and added the second story. From a mansion it was turned into a hotel. In 1989 it became the city s Museum with forty thousand historicaly valuble items. was originally Gudulleut but years later it changed to Gödöllő. Here you see buildings designed in the baroque style, and life is a slower pace. You'll see a lot of tourists but you wonder if it is visited by many Americans or Germans. I know a lot of the people around me spoke Hungarian, but I didn't hear much English. Stories of the palace are told that it was taken over by Soviet military garrisons after the Second World War. Only about 2/3rds of the building is renovated after years of their neglect. Believe me, these guys clearly had no appreciation for the beauty of the grounds because on the area that has not been reconstructed you can see the proof of neglect. The blackened facade was surrounded by weeds and decay. It looked as if they used it for target practice. Parts of Gödöllő itself was destroyed various times, but years of foreign occupation couldn't keep the town from coming back. But the area that is rebuilt, mainly by private Hungarian donations, is a dream. You step right back into the 1880's. Each room is exquisitely Left: The church in Máriabesnyő where the Grassalkovich family is buried. Right: One of the churches in Gödöllő.
