Last year the National Heritage Institute (NHI) joined the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe (ASCE) and the European Cemeteries Route with two Hungarian cemeteries, the Fiume Road Cemetery National Memorial and the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery.
This year, NHI is joining the Week of Discovering European Cemeteries (WDEC) with various colorful events at the Fiumei Road Cemetery in Budapest.
May 27 (10 a.m.): Opening of the Sculpture Park in the Fiumei Road Cemetery - press conference
The Fiumei Road Cemetery has a rich collection of tombs with hundreds of artistic sculptures on them which perfectly represent nearly 200 years of the history of Hungarian sculpture. The Fiumei Road Cemetery can also be interpreted as a sculpture park or an open-air museum where not only the spiritual legacy of the deceased is worth remembering but the art of tombstones is also of unparalleled value.
The National Heritage Institute would like to invite visitors to these magnificent sculptures by presenting the Sculpture Park project. The presentation of the sculptural works includes the history of the tomb sculptures and a short biography of the sculptor. The contents can be accessed by reading the QR codes placed on top of each plot stone. At present, 50 works have been described, however, research and publication of knowledge related to these works of art will be ongoing. Visitors of the cemetery can search the QR codes on the cemetery plot stones from the beginning of summer. The National Heritage Institute will present this new project to a wider audience at a press conference as part of WDEC.
May 28 (3.30 p.m.): Secrets of an oasis in the heart of the city – The Fiume Road Cemetery (guided tour in English)
The National Heritage Institute is expanding its thematic programs with a free 1,5 to 2 hour-long English-language guided tour so that English-speaking visitors could learn the secrets of the green oasis in the heart of Budapest. This is an immersive tour of the oldest still functioning cemetery in the city of Budapest. Images of art, wounds of war, secrets and symbols mixed with the private lives and loves of the greatest Hungarians, will all be revealed! We are looking forward to you joining our tour.
May 28 (6.30. p.m.): Guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature (in Hungarian)
As part of our tour in addition to János Arany and Mihály Vörösmarty, you can get an insight into the lives of Antal Szerb, Béla Balázs, Anna Lesznai, Mari Jászai and Lenke Bajza.
However, the focus will be on János Arany who was a great Hungarian poet in the 19th century and is known to all Hungarian schoolchildren. He spent his entire life in the "bondage" of her civic occupation. János Arany believed that a poet should make a living with the help of their day job so that he could be independent. He ruled his heart with his mind, and even so, he created an exceptionally rich oeuvre.
This will be an excellent introduction to a poetry theater performance of the works of János Arany.
May 28 (8 p.m.): Poetry theater with Miklós Turek in the Fiumei Road Cemetery
The National Heritage Institute is introducing a new program. At the end of the guided tour on the great figures of Hungarian literature, as first of a three-part series, you can hear the poems of János Arany performed by Miklós Turek. The performance entitled My Soul, my Gold! (arany means gold) will be a version of the monodrama of the actor Miklós Turek adapted to a special place, the tombstone of János Arany.
The Fiumei Road Cemetery is a suitable location for Poetry Theater not only because of the poets who rest here, but also because a main goal of the National Heritage Institute is to reach young people, so Miklós Turek's performances fits our Historical and Cultural Memory Education Program, launched last year, perfectly.
May 29 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): In the footsteps of heroes – Family Day in the Fiumei Road Cemetery
The Fiume Road Graveyard National Memorial is the final resting place of many heroes of modern Hungary. People, whose actions and decisions had an impact on Hungary’s fate. On the Day of Remembrance of Hungarian Heroes, we remember them because our country would not be the same without them.
Programs of the Budakeszi Traditional Military Association include artillery demonstration with a copy of Áron Gábor's cannon (every half hour), infantry weapons demonstration (front-loading rifle handling, individual and assault fires), bayonet demonstration, 1848 military recruiter with children - formal training (turns, marching, handling rifles) and an illustration of camp life in contemporary tents.
The cunning Szekler’s tale (a puppet show) and crafts activities such as making a wooden spoon puppet or creating your own heroic merit order will help the next generation remember our heroes.
June 1 (11 a. m.): Opening of the exhibition entitled "A place where… European graveyards in the Fiumei Road Cemetery"
The National Heritage Institute is hosting an outdoor photo exhibition. We believe that historic cemeteries are special places. They are imprints of history and artistic heritage of countries. With our exhibition we want to conjure the atmosphere of European historic cemeteries. Similar to the Fiumei Road Cemetery and Salgótarjáni Street Jewish Cemetery there are special graveyards all over Europe that tell the story of culture of the given country. Photo posters take you to many cities in various countries and entice you to explore these amazing locations in person.
The exhibition showcases the best of a photo book that flashes the mood of 37 cemeteries in 15 countries on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of ASCE. Each of the presented graveyard is unique and diverse, but similar at the same time: they carry the imprints of chapters of our common European history and are waiting to be discovered.