Magyar Hírek, 1988 (41. évfolyam, 1-22. szám)
1988-02-19 / 4. szám
A Chateau — with lodgers INTERVIEW Kristóf Festetics, at the time a member of the highest Hungarian court, the seven-member Court of Appeal, purchased the estate of Zsigrnond Pethő on the shore of Hake Balaton in 1739. Within barely two years the whole of the Keszthely district was his. That is the reason why Dr Miklós Frech, my guide there, mentioned him succintly as the man who waxed rich. The chateau we are in now is not the same as the one which he started to build in 1745. That is only the central area of present building. Perhaps there was no Festetics, who did not add or alter something. According to the 1933 inventory as many as 101 rooms were counted in the huge building — completer, including bathrooms and servants quarters! The old Festetics eháteai i, which is now the Helikon Museum, attracts many visitors. Dr László Czoma, the Director, told me that as many as 487,327 people paid for admission in 1986 and since no admission is charged on Saturdays the actual number of visitors must have been over half a million. A Magnate's Life in the 19th Century The rare trees, splendid fountains, shaded and romantic walks, colourful flowers of the park surround the museum. But the present park is only a fraction of the old one. According to the museum guide the park covered 42 hectares between 1887 and 1945, and only 7.2 hectares today “in consequence of ignorance and lack of understanding”. Apparently the green oasis was a thorn in the side of the town authorities: they cut down the great yews of the French Garden in 1973, and caused a national scandal in 1986 when, making a new main road, they destroyed some eighty irreplace-A trophy from the Windischgrötz-coliection able tree giants. But the Park is still unforgettable even as it is, and it gives evidence of tender care. The museum not only spent ten million forints putting it in order, it also takes care of its maintenance. Dr László Czoma, the Director, is proudest of the “A Magnate’s Life Living in the 19th Century” Exhibition. When the Helikon Museum opened its gates to the public in 1976 the halls, rooms, corridors, reception rooms and stairways really showed the surroundings in which Hungarian magnates lived prior to 1945. Those who arranged the exhibition were careful not to give a biased picture. They demonstrated that many members of the Festetics family had done much in the Age of the Enlightment and in the Age of Reform as well as later, serving progress, the independence of the country and the people of the area. György Festetics, established an Agricultural College at his own expense, financed its operations, and opened his private library to the teachers and students of the “Georgikon”. The lodgers The chateau also houses the bequest of Prince Lajos Windischgrätz: 272 hunting trophies from Europe, Africa and Asia. Only about one third of the total are on view the rest is carefully kept in the basement until the town authorities honour their promise, even if that is taking some time. They had promised that by the time the Windischgrätz collection reaches Keszthely the municipal music school will have moved, making room for the whole of the material to be shown. This already identifies the first of the lodgers and explains why the museum people are anxious to see them go. The situation is similar with the second lodger, the municipal library. The third lodger does not occupy space in the chateau itself, but in its immediate vicinity. An agreement has already been signed with the Keszthely Agricultural University: they will vacate the palmhouse and the three glass-houses in the park. Their cast iron structure was made in Paris, most likely in the Eiffel workshop. The big question is, however, what will the museum do if the lodgers really go? “We are going to repair the palmhouse and the glass-houses and set up a botanic garden of the Balaton district on a 2.5 hectare site, establishing there the characteristic flora of the environs of the lake!” Dr Czoma said going on to list other lodgers who occupy the manege in the park. The manege which was designed by Miklós Ybl is considered by conoisseurs as the second-best work of the famous architect, surpassed only by the Wenckheim chateau at Szabadkígyós. The manége which is in a bad state of repair, is used by the local brewery, and the local food wholesalers. The question is when will they move out, and the even greater problem, which Dr Czoma expresses with a sigh: “When will we ever have the money to restore all that?” He ponders over his own question, makes a mental calculation and answers to himself: “Perhaps by 1990, but at the latest by 1995. A helmet the Cardinal wore in battle Lodgers here or there, the number of the exhibits keep on growing. Dr László Czoma calculates that the floorspace will increase by about 200 sq. m. when the area that housed temporary exhibitions so far —called the hunters’ passage in the time of the Festetics’s —will be added to the permanent exhibition area. When I went there György Platthy’s paintings were on show. They are planning to exhibit armory in this area, once it will be restored. This will include the bejewelled sword of King Matthias Corvinus and the helmet Pál Tömöri, the Archbishop of Kalocsa wore as one of the leaders of the Hungarian army at Mohács, fighting the Turks. He was killed there. LÁSZLÓ GARAMI "Nexl stop - Possenhofen!" cracked the loudspeaker and the Munich fast train slowed down a few minutes later to stop at the former summer resort of the Bavarian king, a twin town of Pöcking, where the horses of the mail coach were changed in the old days. This is where Dr Otto von Habsburg the CSU member of the Strasbourg European Parliament, President of the Pan-Europa Union, heir apparent of the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary now lives. Following an exchange of letters I visited this extraordinarily active man and politician in his Pöcking home. He pays particular interest to questions involving Hungary. I had asked him in advance in which language we could talk and he assured me with obvious ease that it must be the Hungarian. I admit I had misgivings until the first moments of the meeting convinced me that his Hungarian was impeccable. The text below is an abbreviated English translation of the interview originally recorded in Hungarian. “Hungarians abroad often become indignant, when asked how they manage to speak Hungarian so well. Their usual answer is that it is their native language. If I put the same question to you it surely cannot be offensive, since your native language is not Hungarian. And yet you speak Hungarian perfectly, indeed, perhaps more grammatically than it is generally spoken in Hungary.” “Not quite, but it is nevertheless my native tongue since I spoke Hungarian from the start. I learnt German and Hungarian simultaneously. This may be the reason why I could maintain my knowledge. One occasionally meets Hungarians who left the country fifteen or twenty years ago and no longer have a good command of the language. This is regrettable, but true. Naturally, it must be admitted that our language is difficult. If one does not keep it up deliberately then it may seriously deteriorate. Examples of that are frequent in America, unfortunately.” “From whom did you learn Hungarian?” “When we —my sister Etelka and I — were very small we had a Hungarian governess. We learnt Hungarian from her. My father also spoke Hungarian, which seemed natural then.” “I understand that members of your family, who were in line for the throne 30
