Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-07-01 / 11-12. szám
famous Declaration of Independence. In 1867 after the great Compromise with Vienna, the Kingdom of Hungary purchased the property and gave it as a coronation gift to Emperor Franz Joseph I and Queen Elizabeth. Later on in 1918, at the end of the First World War, the last Hungarian king, Charles IV was informed of the collapse of the Hapsburg monarchy. Years of trial were to follow. The royal family usually spent the summer and spring in Gödöllő. The estate was used for hunting by Franz Joseph while Elizabeth practiced her equestrian riding. Elizabeth thought of it as her true home and she cherished her break from Viennese politics here. As you go from room to room, you feel the past still alive. You enter and walk the corridor up the elegant stairway where diplomats and nobility once roamed. In the banquet hall, musical concerts are still performed. From Bach, Liszt and Brahms you hear the music as it was performed then. I loved Franz Joseph's office, with its crimson and white wall. I could practically imagine him signing his official state documents. Could his fateful war orders been signed in this very spot or perhaps other decisions that affected the very course of European history? There is a portrait in Elizabeth's study. In it, against violet wallpaper, is a painting of the queen strolling in Budapest at the end of the 19th Century........perhaps coming from a Café........and the crowd is stopped in their tracks admiring her. She seemed so full of life, yet it was so long ago. An interesting building is the Museum Church and Székely Style Gate In addition to the palace, there are other sights for the traveler looking for history or inspiration. In the nearby hamlet of Máriabesnyő, there is a church, and when it was built, an ancient wooden statue of the baby Jesus and Mary was discovered buried in the ground beneath. In the sanctuary you are surrounded by ornate frescos and other works of beauty. In this cathedral's crypt the Grassalkovich family is buried, the owners of the palace, and it is no wonder why they chose this spot to spend eternity, the grounds surrounding the front of the church is a peaceful place of meditation. Leading down the pathway towards the road is a gate in the style from Transylvania reminding us of a distant place, the land of the Székely's. Made of wood, its arches tower 15 feet above us as a reminder of the ethnic Hungarians now trapped in other Countries not of their choosing. These Hungarians are the casualties of WWI, they have suffered the injustice of destructive global politics. Throughout Gödöllő we are reminded by the Hungarian history of struggle, the suffering of the Hungarian people as well as the rich culture of persistence and victory. The people of Gödöllő are proud of their past and have numerous statues around the town commemorating faith. Petőfi Sándor reminds us of the long struggle for independence that he himself never witnessed and we gaze at Saint Antal and Saint Imre, pillars of past struggle that point us towards a bright future. Hero's Square Following our tour of Gödöllő, we had a fantastic lunch of Goulash and Székely Káposta, washing it down with the local Veltins beer in a neighborhood dining spot. It is true that food tastes better when it is prepared with love. Cars lined the entrance of the restaurant The Cityhall of Gödöllő with license plates from Budapest, Debrecen and the occasional BMW from Germany. As we were accompanied by good friends the conversation easily flowed, back and forth, about the past, the future and the lives we live. By the time we drove back to Budapest, the nice weather of a warm spring late afternoon day had seduced some of us to walk down Andrássy Ut. To get back to Solymár, we would take the Metro from Operaház to Moszkva Tér, but that was for later. First we would enjoy the rebirth of spring among the stately buildings, filled Cafés and the trees lining the historic boulevard. After another harsh winter, the story begins again. Birds chirp and lilacs in the air fill us with memories of childhood. We ordered some ice cream to complete the perfect day. We started our walk in the square of Hero's, with the traffic racing by. A perfect place of contemplation but we decided to not waste the moment. One cannot help but consider that the history of the past has already been written yet with Hungary now joining Europe after an absence of almost 100 years, the story of the future is being lived right now. Page 5 Top: A view of the city's center. Above: The Széchényi tér.
