[I don't know what is the problem with my photos /maybe their size are too big or I don't know/ but Blogger not saved this post normally... the wonder of technology... so all my photos on Photobucket if you are interested. *angry*]
So my mom and I recently spend a long weekend at Visegrád to make up the
summer holiday. We decided to travel more inland to know more about our own
country. For us [todays' Hungarian people] is more evident to travel somewhere
abroad if it comes to holiday, but if we haven't got enough money and time to Corfu
or Egypt or wherever we just don't go anywhere... I don't know why is that but
it's stupid. Although we are a small country we have many inspiring places,
towns, cities, monuments, natural attractions too.
So now we chose Visegrád, one of our most ancient towns also this was
the home town of the Hungarian Renaissance era...
[Sadly bunny stayed at home, but under the eye of a reliable friend! -
at least this was the time to prove it... Haha]
Historically about Visegrád
A small castle town in Pest County. It is famous for the remains of the early
Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the medieval citadel.
The area was inhabited in the Neolithic era already. In the ancient
times there lived Celts, Germanics, Romans, Avars and Hungarians as well. At
the hillside [Sibrik-hill] archeologists found ruins of Roman watchtowers.
There stood the castrum [fortress] Ponts Novatus, builded by Constantine the Great. The first certification in Latin from 1009 mentiones Visegrád for the
first time in Hungarian history.
I wrote about king Béla IV before, his daughter was Saint Margaret, the
"masochistic princess". He was our ruler when the Tatars attacked our country and the
majority of the Hungarian population were killed... So our king wanted to build
impregnable fortresses and castles. They started to build a citadel in the
beginning of the XIIIth century. After Béla IV our next king was Charles I [Róbert Károly, establisher of
the Anjou-house in Hungary]. Under his reign the court moved to Visegrád.
In those times this town was the center of the country and famous
internationally as well.
❀✿❁
This town is a living historic happening at Summer. There is knight's
tournaments all year at the amphitheater of the Lower Castle [need min. 30
persons/the performances in many languages/there is no such excuse as bad
weather], but it takes place the big International Palace Games OfVisegrád in July* to commemorate to the Congress of Visegrád in 1335,
when Casimir III of Poland, Charles I of Hungary and John I of Bohemia formed
an alliance against the Vienna trade-routes. This was one of the most
significant event in the medieval Europe.
This fair lasts three days in a row [always on the second weekend of
July] and there are everything what you would expect from a medieval fair: spectacular
knight's tournaments, historic performances, royal procession, torchlight
procession, concerts, fair, wine-tasting and - almost - period foods until you
can see...
*not every year they hold this fair, so it's good to get information in every
January/February before one is planning.
"The International Palace Games is one of the largest medieval summer
festivals in Europe, consisting of parades, displays and jousting tournaments.
It is a vivid example of cooperation between several European countries by
fostering the common Central European heritage. The 3-day festival aims to
reach a wide international public through diversified programmes, with joint
performances of Hungarian and foreign participants in a uniquely authentic
environment, the Royal Palace of Visegrád." - effe.eu
I can't believe I missed this
before... Maybe next year the dream comes true. I love medieval fairs. I
was on a fair at the castle of Gyula, Csesznek and Nagyvázsony. The Csesznek-fair
is quite big and sightful instead of Nagyvázsony, which is a small
village near my Veszprém. However the fair in Gyula was quite disillusioning
with the amount of shitty programs next to the castle what totally not related
to the Middle-ages or any historical event... [village beauty competition, dog
competition, majorette...]
I choose this hotel for accommodation, not just because it is close to
any museum and other monuments but the price was surprisingly cheap for a
famous historical building [below] at the main road, next to Danube. For one
person, the price of a standard room for three nights [Frd., Sat., Sund.]
with - plentiful - breakfast is only about 49€ [+ about 7€ tourist
tax]! And the view is onto the Danube or the Solomon Tower.
In the XIXth century many of the famous
Hungarian writers, poets, artists, public figures had been built a mansion or a
castle in Visegrád such as Artúr Görgey, who was the general defense and war
minister of the Hungarian Revolution of 1948, and supreme commander of the
army at the Battles for Freedom of 1848-49. This castle was his home!
This building was only one from the huge building complex. The main
building of the castle is on sale. If I have the money...
Visegrád was one of Emperor Franz Joseph I's favourite places as well,
he has a hunting seat, but I didn't find where...
Day 1 Fellegvár [lit. means:
'cloudcastle']/The Citadel
They started to build the triangle planned castle complex around 1250
under the reign of Béla IV and his wife queen Mary [actually the money came
from queen Mary's wedding-dower...]. The complex had three main buildings: the
Citadel, the Lower castle or Solomon tower and the Water bastion [Vízibástya]
by the bank of Danube.
In the late XIIIth century Charles I carried on the constructions of the castle
complex such as his son Louis I. Under their reign got the citadel two outer
baileys. The next was king Sigismund around 1400 who wanted a third bailey.
Under the reign of the Anjou-house the crown jewels were held here in the upper
castle. Later king Matthias renovated the whole complex.
Under the times when the Ottomans attacked the country the main building
started to go ruin. In 1544 the Ottomans took the castle and used it as a
military bastion...
Centuries later in 1871 they started the restoration of the whole
complex and finished it in the mid 1960's.
Alsóvár -
Salamontorony/Lower Castle or Solomon Tower
This building also
went ruin under the Ottoman invasion. Its restoration started in 1971 and
finished it around 1964.
Here is an old engraving about Visegrád in the XVIth
century
❀✿❁
Sadly Solomon Tower is closed in the Autumn and Winter
times. We just walked around the tower. It was beautiful and mighty anyway and
the iron gate is the original 800 years old one!
If you want to visit the citadel on foot, you must follow the road after
you leave the Solomon tower. The walk takes about 45 minutes up to the
castle-hill.
Day 2 Mátyás Király Múzeum/Museum
of King Matthias and the Királyi Palota/The Royal
Palace
In 1323 Charles I placed the royal court from Buda to Visegrád
and he had the new palace started to build by the river Danube. The construction carried on under the reigns of his son Louis I and later king
Sigismund [K.o.Hu. from 1387–1437]. Sigismund was who enlarged the main
building although he moved with his court back to Buda and Visegrád Palace
remained as Summer residency.
The next golden age of Visegrád begun when Matthias I
became king and he - our 'first Renaissance king' - had started to renew
and decorate the whole building complex between 1477 and 1480. They didn't
built new side wing but replaced the windows, doors, balconies, porticos and
the fountains. Matthias had the fruitery and grapery renewed and he had them
improved with Renaissance elements and ornaments as well as the buildings such
as pergola terrace and Roman-vineyard styled garden house. There was a terraced
garden by the chapel with lots of linden trees.
The new architectures of Matthias were the first
Renaissance appearances in whole Europe outside Italy!
In a couple of years Visegrád became the royal town
and favourite place of the king and his court. And those who came from faraway
lands wrote about Visegrád as "Earthly Paradise"...
These blooming era only lasts till Ottomans forayed in
the country and slowly seized our castles one by one... Visegrád had the same
fate. The Citadel as well as the Royal Palace were token up by the ottomans and
later the buildings started to go ruin...
What remained from the Palace the soldiers blew up on
the command of Leopold I [Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany and
Hungary...]. That bull♥♥♥♥ a♥♥♥♥♥♥ jerk...
The excavation of the ruins had started in 1934 and
still go on today.
The museum part contains the renewed quadrangle, the
Corvin-chamber, rooms from the king Sigismund-era, the royal kitchen, the
queens' bath, archaeological finds from Roman-era and medieval sale-works. You
can see the first relics of the Hungarian Renaissance art in the Palace Chapel
The main show of the quadrangle was the Herkules kút/Hercules
Fountain [above]. King Matthias held many big feasts and they say at these
events the fountain poured neat red wine! Western and Italian noble men drank
the wine only on diluted way but Hungarian nobles rarely drank wine before.
Antonio Bonfini [court historian for Matthias] called us barbarians to drink
the wine without adding water. And we still do today! I drank watered wine only
once... it was awful to me... But Hey I'm barbarian! Haha
On Italian effect the Hungarian court started to drink dessert wine too
with raisin and fig.
Below you can
see a restorated and the reconstructed one of the fountain with Hercules and
the Nemean lion at the top
Although - sadly - I'm allergic to almost every
flowers and trees I love to see beautiful gardens, especially love the botanic
gardens. This palace has many gardens including two botanic gardens. One is in
the courtyard and one is near the kitchen. According on
archaeobotanical researchers - under the reign of Matthias - they cultivated 52 kind of plants [including 11 fruit species]. There were grassy
areas as well, especially around the garden fountain. There was pomegranate and
rose garden too and the evergreens had been shaped as elephant, wild-boar, ram,
hare and deer.
❀✿❁
There are many childrens' program at Summer, especially on 'Palace
Games' days such as stonework, heraldic painting, initial painting, leather
washes, bookbindery, archeology lesson, introducer of medieval
weapons, Renaissance dance lesson and performance, crafting, [be one at the] knight's
tournament, falconry performance, archery and so on...
I don't know why is that but kids' programs always more interesting for
me than the adult ones... or is it just me again?! *oh nevermind*
I just took 3 minutes in the lavatory and I found this by my bag...
Where did we pick up this little package???I wanted to kidnap him, but its momma was in the near... （’へ’⌗）
Day 3
Sightseeing
It was a little bit disappointing how sleepy this town is. As a tourist it's
beautiful and interesting of course and the historical monuments are
breathtaking [especially at Spring/Summer], but I just cannot live in this
town. For this, Veszprém is a bursting city...
Almost every
beautiful listed house are on sale at main street. It's very sad for a
historical town. We only met old people and tourists. I think mostly old people
live this town. Younger generation have not much possibility of work except if
one is working in the catering or hotel trade. They are the only people there
whom earn fairly, especially in Summer months when the town welcomes about 1
million tourists per year! And those whom working in the restaurant and hotel
business are from different towns or Budapest but not live there. I totally
understand them.
The town has its own pálinka label, factory and museum: Zugfőzde
Pálinkamúzeum [Rév street 1]. I tasted their apricot pálinka and it was
really fruity [and strong Haha] but we skip the museum. I only like to drink
pálinka sometimes but its history not interests me.
One of my colleague is making pálinka at home but if he not mentions this you will know anyway... he is always smelly... then once he said he drinks a whole bottle every day... Dream about the long life buddy! Your liver is crying now already...
Bank of Danube. Beautiful view, but we just missed, because the whole
area was under constuction by the new anchorage and there were moaning workers
everywhere so we couldn't take a step because of them...
❀✿❁
And finally the
main point: Food!
Where we ate accross the three days?
When we arrived we just chose the first pizzeria what we found... but we found
the best one I think. The theme of the restaurant is around Coppola's big hit
"The Godfather". Although I never saw the movies [I really can't
stand gang societies...] I enjoyed the set I eat in and the speaker played
suitable 30's, 40's style swing music
For the next two days I found on the net a couple of tempting
restaurants, but we - the two history-lover ladies - just chose the Renaissance Restaurant Visegrád
The building is somewhat modern [I do not really like it] because it is
a family business which started in 1997. But the inside is much more
nicer
[Photo from renvisegrad.hu]
They incorporate the classical Renaissance tastes with the modern
gastronomic style and every meat and vegetable are from the local agricoles
not from the supermarket... [The only funny thing was ice-cream scoops
with umbrella or whatever in a period clay cup...] The theme is just as other medieval/Renaissance
restaurants, the waiters/waitresses are in costumes, there is live lyre music
and handmade clay dishes and cups, candlelight, costume dressing... and if you
are with a big group you will got a "drumparade" at the enter...
Loved the decor. Everywhere are the
coat of arm of Matthias, the raven with the ring in its mouth.
This is a family business so you feel yourself in a family way. I don't
think I could handle a meal under spotlight with movie like - freak - show and
hundreds of shouting people around me like in some bigger American medieval
themed restaurants... I would try out a British, Scottish or French one [where accuracy
and speciality at dishes are much more cherished], but definitely not an
American one... there never was Renaissance or Middle-ages, so those are
annoyingly fake to me... [~Sorry]
We Hungarians do
love our stomack very much [not a surprise at all that Hungary is among the
firsts in serious obesity, high-blood pressure and diabetic problems...] and
all of our kings were famous from their feasts especially Matthias I, our true
renaissance king whom this reastaurant commemorates with these attractive
dishes.
Day 1
Day 2
So the first real renaissance feasts were hold at Visegrád and although
it was Matthias I. who entered the renaissance culinary habit in the
Hungarian gastronomy for the first time, the person who entered Matthias into
this kind of cuisine - and in some table manners - was his third wife, Beatrice
of Naples [Aragóniai Beatrix, daughter of Ferdinand Ith of Naples and
Isabella of Clermont]. And who knows more about a real renaissance feast than
an Italian.
Before Beatrice came:
In the Hungarian court kitchen the most famous primary commodities were
fishes such as luce, burbot, trout. Common spices were thyme and saffron. They
used bread belly to thicken the dish [to make sauce] at cooking. They ate
greasy meat with meat without any garnish, so our kitchen shouted for some
reformation...
After she arrived [other half of the XVth century]:
the new things in our kitchen were fig, orange, lemon,
pomegranate, oyster, crayfish, scallop, escargot, lamb [became a fashion to
eat], small birds [those too], mandel, rosmary, basil, majorjam, eel and famous
kind of cheeses like the Parmesan.
It was not only the Hungarian eating habit she renovated [to use fork,
tooth-picker, cultured and decorated serving] but she had brought
herself the values of the Italian renaissance as well [music, style, art...
etc.]. Until this time a Hungarian royal feast [too] was not less then a hungry
wolfs' gathering...
Some court
favourite dishes were:
'Whitefish with
Italian olive and acetic sauce', 'Beatrice's favorite millet porridge with freshwater
lobster', 'Furnace baked catfish with apple and orgeat', 'Harefoot with
sauerkraut sauce', 'Bore-liver a lá Bakony with various herbs', 'Roasted suckling
pig on a rotating spit glazed by Wiener beer', 'Pancake with fig and walnut'.
Some of them
sounds disgusting for me especially that baby pig one. I think I would taste
the lobster dish but definitely not the harefoot one... Damn you bunny-eaters!!!
Beatrice brought with herself - cultured - Italian Humanist scholars
as well such as Galeotto Marzio, who wrote about our eating rituals -
maybe - after the first shock he has got:
He wrote that a Hungarian dinner table is very rich and varied
[especially fish dishes], but very spicy and greasy at once, and we can
eat any amount of food... [still today] however everyone sit around a big square table and are
eating from a collective big plate - with bare hands - what places in the
center of the table, so there are halfly bited meat parts here and there on the
plate left by 'who knows'... there are no other plates but everyone has a
big piece of bread. The meats are served in their own sauces with too much
spice and everything is bright yellow from the saffron and at the end you will
slubber your clothes with your hands anyway... [3]
Thank you Renaissance for the civilization! [and domestication at
some people...]
Matthias died before Columbuses' found the New World, so he couldn't live to
know the new spices and vegetables what later arrived into Hungary as well,
such as potato, chili [the future paprika], bell pepper and tomato.
A Hungarian
feast before Beatrice came
[Photo from lakberendezes.hu]
I would gladly join a feast like this, however this picture is just too
idealized... Where are the beslubbered clothes? And I think I would cry after a
fork and a napkin... and an earplug to not hear the belchs and other noises...
As for me in a restaurant I eat like a lady/bird, but at home I'm more
like...
...but noone dare to touch my plate! ~Hgrrr
Good Day!/Szép napot! ✌
[2]
varhotel.hu, "Visegrád mint királyi székhely"
by Gergely Buzás, Hungarian Electronic Library, [3] "Kulináris örömök"
by Edit Kormos]
