Hodmezovasarhely is getting into the spirit of the season.
The streets in the centre and Kossuth square are lit with hundreds of lights. It can be enjoyed by the customers at the Christmas fair and the lots of children and adults who enjoy the ice rink in front of the Town Hall, which is free to use!
Hodmezovasarhely at night
There're only two days until Christmas and with these Hungarian folk songs we would like to wish you a very happy Christmas with a very local greeting from five students of Liszt Ferenc Primary school in Hodmezovasarhely. Hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!
Last Sunday was the opening of the 58th Annual Autumn Exhibition in Hodmezovasarhely as the main attraction of Autumn Weeks of Hodmezovasarhely.
It is such a unique exhibition in Hungary as it is the only one that has been organised since 1954. You can see the works of art of contemporary atrists who are connected to Hodmezovasarhely or the previous exhibitions in a way.
The artists are invited to send their pieces of art to the exhibition and only the carefully selected paintings, sculptures and other pieces can be seen by the public.
Every year one artist gets the Tornyai plaquette, a prize named after the famous painter, Janos Tornyai, to recognise their outstanding work and talent but an artist can get this acknowledgement only once in their lifetime.
This year Peter Kovacs, graphic artist got the plaquette. Since the second exhibition there has been a catalogue of the pieces which you can buy int he museum.
The exhibition can be seen in Alfoldi Gallery in Kossuth square, Hodmezovasarhely, next to the Town Hall. It is open every day except Monday between 8th October and 4th December. Opening hours 10.00 a.m. – 18.00 p.m.
My two favourite pieces of art from the exhibition
This weekend on 9th and 10th September Hodstock festival will be organised in Hodmezovasarhely, Szechenyi square.
It is the unofficial underground festival in Hungary with more than 26 groups and bands. It is not only a festival where you can listen to underground music it is also a talent show where unknown groups can show their music. It can be very exciting to listen to young musicians and their fresh music. There will be two tribute concerts, the first on Friday and the second on Saturday.
On Friday you can see Monkey Ranch Foo Fighters Tribute and the other is Motörazor with a Motörhead tribute. Both concerts starts at 7 p.m. On Friday you can also see Crazy Blues Band, Szabo Eszter and Kontor Tamas, iNSANE, Strategia and Heavy. Saturday starts with the already mentioned Motörazor concert and after them GrimaszK, FISH!, VL45, Blind Myself and Living Dead Army on the big stage. Starting at 4 p.m. there will be the talent show on the small stage with lots of intriguing bands and music. There will be a Vatafaka concert and other programmes. Good food, lots of beer come and enjoy a weekend in Hodmezovasarhely!
Best drum performance from Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary
20th August is one of the biggest festival in Hungary and Hodmezovasarhely is no exception. There are different cultural programmes for young and old so you can relax a bit before the autumn starts.
This year the festival starts on 18th August and finishes on 20th. During the three days there will be a Palinka and Wine Festival from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. It starts on Thursday at 11 a.m. with the official opening of the festival.
Int he afternoon you can listen to the brass orchestra of the Hodmezovasarhely barracks. There will be another performance by a brass quintet with a pantomime artist which is sure to entertain both children and adults. After that those who are interested in poetry can listen to Villon poems by Macsai Pal, a famous Hungarian actor accompanied by Peter Huzella from Kalaka group.
Hodmezovasarhely is famous for its embroidery and the opening of an exhibition about Contemporary Embroidery will be opened at 18:30. More music in the evening, Illenyi Katica is going to play the violin both classical music and jazz.
Fire dance after nine where different cultures and styles are mixed with special world and folk music and dance, of course. On Friday, 19th August the programmes start at 5 p.m. First you can listen to musical songs mainly from the favourites of children. At 7 there will be a play called Love Letters and after that at 9 Group and Swing band will play then at 10:30 Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra will provide some entertainment.
Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra - Summertime
St Stephen Church - Hodmezovasarhely
20th August starts with a mass in St Stephen Church and at 10 about 300 Hungarian people living outside the present Hungarian border are going to take an oath of citizenship in St Stephens square. Int he evening you can listen to poems from Sandor Marai. AT 18:30 as usual, you can see the artists of Budapest Operett Theatre singing and dancing from the most famous musicals and operetts. At ten there will be a firework and the closing event of the festival will be the Cotton Club Singers concert.
I think it is a very nice programme and anyone can find the kind of entertainment they like no matter how old they are. Have a nice three days in Hodmezovasarhely!
I wrote about the Finswimming Championship before but unfortunately I made a mistake. The place I got information about tickets wrote that the event was free. The case is not like that, you have to pay for the entrance. Morning tickets cost 500Huf, afternoon tickets are 1.000 Huf and daily tickets are 1.200 Huf. You can buy a ticket for all five days, it costs 5.000 Huf.
Sixteen Japanese students came to Hodmezovasarhely yesterday and they are going to stay here until 6th August. They were invited by the mayor of Hodmezovasarhely to spend some relaxing time after the tsunami hit their homes. Some of them lost relatives in the disaster others still live in shelters as their homes were completely ruined. The 12 girls and 4 boys were chosen with the help of the Japanese ambassador, Mr Ito Tecuo. They wanted to invite students who were closely affected by the catastrophy and who were willing to get to know Hungary.
Mr Ito Tecuo greeted them after landing in Budapest along with Janos Lazar, mayor of Hodmezovasarhely. They will spend some time in Hodmezovasarhely and Szeged but will also be taken to Opusztaszer, Budapest and Lake Balaton to explore the country.
Local and Szeged university students are going to help them to forget about their tragedy during their stay and provide them with an unforgettable experience. We really hope they will like our town and our country and have a great time. All the expenses are paid by the town of Hodmezovasarhely.
This year Hodmezovasarhely will be the place that can organise the Finswimming World Championship between 28th July and 7th August.
It will be held in Gyarmati Dezso Swimming pool and the organisers have already announced that technical conditions are satisfactory. It is important as almost 400 participants are coming to Hodmezovasarhely from more than 40 different countries. The organisers are hoping that even more will qualify for the championship and break the present record of Mallorca where sportsmen and sportswomen participated from 44 countries.Originally it was going to be held in Neiva, Columbia buta t the beginning the CMAS decided against it and Hodmezovasarhely got the chance to organise it. One of the best parts of itt hat it is completely free to watch the championship there will be no entrance fee. Although you should be careful about parking as the parking space of the swimming pool is not very big. Perhaps th ebest idea is to walk from your hotel or if you are not staying in Hodmezovasarhely leave your car int he town centre and walk from there to the place. It is worth to see you cannot see such a championship in Hungary.
Between the 15th and 17th of July there will be a Harvest Festival in Martely.
Martely is a community only 8 kilometres from Hodmezovasarhely which belongs to Hodmezovasarhely Small Region. Its main attraction is the backwater of the river Tisza. The landscape is wonderful and it attracts many visitors in all seasons. Throughout the year it is a great place for fishermen and anglers because of the river.
Martely also attracts artists, especially painters. During the summer there is a special workshop for them and some of their works are exhibited int he Annual Autumn Exhibition in Hodmezovasarhely in October.
The Harvest Festival will be held in Tiszapart Camping where you will see an exhibition of the local agricutlture in addition to traditional instruments and machines. In the afternoon there will be a procession to the Village Hall with folk dancers, reapers and partner towns representatives. From the Village Hall everyone will go to the corn-field and the reapers start traditional harvest with hand. In the evening there will be a ball with folk dancers and lots of palinka! If you have nowhere to stay you can book an apartment, a wooden hose or you can even try staying in a jurta, a traditional Hungarian tent. You can also stay in
Hodmezovasarhely as there are numerous hotel sin the town and go to Martely by car. If you like cycling there is a very good cycle lane between Hodmezovasarhely and Martely and this way you can drink as much palinka as you want.
The cycle lane continues to Mindszent, a nearby town only 8 kilometres from Martely, and 13 from Hodmezovasarhely where you can go swimming in the river Tisza. The river bank is sandy and the water is clear.
Although Hodmezovasarhely is a relatively small town it has numerous partner towns all over Europe. It was such a great event last weekend. Thank you for all participants for the wonderful time!
Baja, Bács-Kiskun Vidin, Bulgaria Arad, Romania Baia Mare, Romania Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands Hechingen, Germany Kelmė, Lithuania Senta, Serbia Sokobanja, Serbia Solotvyno, Ukraine Tamar, Israel Vallauris, France Zgierz, Poland
Some photos of the events
Click on the map of Europe and you will see all the partner towns of Hodmezovasarhely
Beautiful Polish folk dancers waiting for getting on the stage
Hungarian folk dancers behind the stage
Folk dancing is a very serious business
The Polish ensemble at the beginning of their performance
Singing makes you smile!
Pretty, young and preserving traditions
Our friends from Bulgaria with a lively performance in Kossuth square, Hodmezovasarhely
Girls still waiting in traditional costumes in Hodmezovasarhely
Men from the Bulgarian folk dance group in Hodmezovasarhely
This weekend there will be an interesting festival in Hodmezovasarhely called The Festival of Towns. Hodmezovasarhely invited its sister towns to show their culture to one another and also to discuss different issues that all these towns have to face. The opening of the festival is on 24th June. In the morning there will be a conference about education in Hotel Ginkgo. It will be opened by Peter Koszo, deputy mayor of Hodmezovasarhely and there will be seven lectures on the topic. The actual opening ceremony is in the afternoon at two o clock by Janos Lazar, the mayor of Hodmezovasarhely in Kossuth square. At 2:30 p.m. there will be the first part of the folk dance gala. There will be dance groups from Arad, Bereck, Kelme, Nagybanya, Torda and Kankalin folk dance group from Hodmezovasarhely, of course. At 3:00 p.m. there will be another conference about renewable energies in Ginkgo Sas hotel. In the evening after 7 p.m. two groups are going to play in Kossuth square, first the Sheket group that uses traditional Hungarian music to create modern music and after that Group n Swing which is a swing and boogie woogie show group.
The next day, Saturday starts off with a conference about the future of Europe in the Town Hall at 10 a.m. From 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. there will be a hair and beauty competition in Fekete Sas and after that at 5 p.m. Hajas Laszlo, a famous Hungarian hairdresser, is making a show there. In the morning at 10 a.m. children can see a puppet show in Kossuth square and after that they can make puppets in a workshop. At 11 a.m. people can see clowns balancing with very high stilts. At 3 p.m. there is the second part of the folk dance gala with groups from Hechingen, Vidin, Zgierz and Arendas folk group from Hodmezovasarhely. At the same time those who like sports can visit the swimming pool where you can support your favourite team from the sister towns at the International Junior Swimming Competition. In the evening the clowns return for a spectacular parade with fire jugglers. After that at 10 p.m. you can listen to Bajnokok reggelije concert – they play Hungarian and foreign pop, rock and underground music. On Sunday there are aerobic, hip-hop and zumba shows between 10a.m. and 12 a.m.
From Friday afternoon until Sunday noon there will be a fair where you can see and buy local craftsmen products from Hodmezovasarhely and the sister towns. Come to Hodmezovasarhely and have a great time with programmes from all over Europe!
One of the liveliest programmes in Hodmezovasarhely is the LOSZ festival in June. This year it is organised for the 10th-11th of June. It is the fifth time it has been organised.
The main idea of this event is to try to preserve Hungarian culture that is why there are folk dance groups, and folk groups singing authentic Hungarian folk songs. But on the other hand it is also a great opportunity for young artists to show their talent so there are also blues and rock concerts in the evening. In my opinion one of the best part of the festival will be the evening and I would like to recommend two concerts. Makamhttp://www.makam.hu/2/ is a well-know group both in Hungary and abroad. They play ethno music and modernity and tradition are mixed in their music. They try to preserve traditional Hungarian music buta t the same time give it a modern twist. I think it is very unique and worth listening to. Vatafakahttp://www.vatafaka.hupont.hu/7/vatafaka is my personal favourite. To call them musicians is an exaggaration. There are six drummers in the group but instead of real drums they use industrial rubbish. It is kind of traditional as they say their music is the continuity of tribal drumming. Apart from drums there is a doromb or jew’s harp. I would not say they give concerts these events are rather performances. If you are aware of the fact that the members are not completely sane you will have a great time. Especially because there will be plenty of beer and wine to drink!
MAKAM
VATAFAKA
Vatafaka - Best drum performance from Hodmezovasarhely
You're not going to get a lot to read. I took some photos of Hodmezovasarhely in spring. Enjoy our slow city!
On the right side of the photo you can see Fekete Sas or Black eagle which used to be the only hotel in Hodmezovasarhely. Nowadays it is a restaurant where you can have excellent lunch and in the other part there is a cafe where, if the weather is good, you can sit outside. Lovely coffee and tiramisu! On the other side of the picture there is a brick building. It used to be a casino for soldiers but now concerts are organised here for young people.
The northern part of Kossuth square
The first few buildings in Zrinyi street are Fekete Sas and Ginkgo Hotel on the right. If you go further this street you can find the hospital on the left. You can go to the end of it and you will find a farm where you can go horseriding. Outside Hodmezovasarhely if you go further up you will get to the Tisza backwater and you can stroll on the embankment. Be careful, in the evenings there can be lots of mosquitos.
Zrinyi street
Ide Hotel Gimkgo in Hodmezovasarhely the only four-star hotel. As the hotel is not very big the staff is very friendly and it is right in the middle of Hodmezovasarhely. Very good coffee and tea in the bar.
Ginkgo Hotel
This is the fountain which you cannot see only the wet patches on the ground. It is always full of little children getting soaking wet in the water.
In front of Ginkgo
That's how slow Hodmezovasarhely is! No-one around.
Still in Zrinyi street
In front of the Town Hall you can see a bell on the left. It used to be in the tower but there was a fire in 1970 and the bell had to be taken down. My brother-in-laws father was among the people who put the bell to this place.
Town Hall and the bell
Still in Kossuth square but in the southern part you can see Alfoldi Gallery. In the hot summer if you want to cool yourself down visit this gallery and enjoy the paintings of local painters and other works from the region.
Alfoldi Gallery in the background
Not so slow here. On the left you can see people riding bikes. There are bicycle lanes all over Hodmezovasarhely making it a safer place for locals and tourists as well.
Rapcsak Andras street
He could bring some more money to Hodmezovasarhely :)
Mercury on the roof of the bank in Kossuth square
Mainly pedestrian area in the middle of Hodmezovasarhely. There are lovely butiques and small shops where you can spend your money.
Szekfu street
Nepkert is a park and a playgroup just a few steps away from the Town Hall and next to the swimming pool. Take a walk there and enjoy some fresh air in the heart of Hodmezovasarhely.
Hodmezovasarhely Center Motorsport Club is organising an international motocross race on Roland-Ring Motocross Circuit. The competition is the second round of the Hungarian Republic’s International Championship. Apart from junior, there are professional and senior categories too. In ProMX1 category you can see Kornel Nemeth Jr. who accepted the invitation of Center Motorsport Club.
He has taken part in numerous world championships and finished in the first part of the racers. His racing is a special experience for the spectators. In ProMX2 category we will see Alex Nagy, and in Super Senior category Zoltan Tapai too.
There will be about 100-120 competitiors and about 2000 spectators are expected. Entrance tickets cost 1000 HUF (4 Euro) for adults and 500 HUF (2 Euro) for children and pensioners.
Motocross has been very popular in Hodmezovasarhely since Sandor Tecsy became a national champion int he early 60s. The first part of the 80s were extremely successful when members of the club became the most important racers of the national 125 team for years and were able to win the Eastern-European Cup. The circuit in Hodmezovasarhely has provided place for several international championships where spectators could see national and international stars. It is also the success of the club to create Hungaroring Motocross circuit as they designed and built it. As a result of the great job and outstanding sport achievements the management of the Hungaroring trusted the club in Hodmezovasarhely to manage the circuit.
Hodmezovasarhely Motocross Circuit
The circuit of the Center Motocross Club provides facilities for some other technical sports. The circuit is 11 ha and is only about 1.5 km from the town, between Szeged and Hodmezovasarhely. It hasn’t been changed since 1980. It was the place for the Eastern-European Cup twice and spectators could see World Championship bronz medalist Rangelov and BBK winner Kornel Nemeth.
Hodmezovasarhely Motocross Roland-Ring
The circuit in Hodmezovasarhely is 1750m long and 10m wide. The level difference is 7.5 m. What makes this circuit difficult is its ground which is a mixture of sand, clay and saline parts of the place.
Satellite picture of the Hodmezovasarhely Motocross Circuit
A HISZI maps - you can also see the streets in these maps one of its advantages is that you can also find local businesses. Its size is changeable but it is a bit time cosuming to use.
A telepuleskereso.hu's map is less detailed but it is especially useful for drivers. You can see the different types of roads, the city you are looking for can be found in a red circle.
One of the most important festivals in the region is the Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely. This year it is between 6th – 8th May. Usually it is at the last weekend of April, which is the closest to St George’s day buti n 2011 it is Easter so the date was changed. At least we’ll have a bigger chance for warm, sunny weather. It’s not very enjoyable when it’s raining. It will be the eighteenth time this agricultural fair has been organised. In the old time there were exhibitions related only to animals but since 2005 agriculture and cultivation is also significant part of the exhibition. Apart from the six branches of animal husbandry which is present at the fair in Hodmezovasarhely, such as horse, cattle, pig, sheep, goat and poultry you will be able to see related agricultural exhibitions from the top companies.
Organizers in Hodmezovasarhely try to bring the latest methods and developments available in a place where you can see the animals in traditional Hungarian thatched roofed outbuildings. The atmosphere is fantastic and it is the perfect place for not only professional people but also for families with children. There are games and competitions for children, they can stroke animals and see lots of interesting things. There are eateries all around the place where you can also try Hungarian beer and palinka. At the fair you can buy products of craftsmen from the region.If you come by car you should expect smaller traffic jams ont he way to the fair but policemen will be quiding you to the parking spaces. You can come by bike as there is a bicycle lane leading to the agricultural exhibition but be prepared that it will be very crowded. It is one of the greatest festivals in Hodmezovasarhely and locals always do their best to make it a memorable weekend. Among the programmes there will be different animal judging, greyhound coursing race, parade of different horses, pony paus de deux, sheep clipping competition and many more. Don’t miss this opportunity to come to Hodmezovasarhely and enjoy a day or two close to nature and animals.
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 1
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 2
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 3
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 4
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 5
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 6
Animal Husbandry and Agricultural Fair in Hodmezovasarhely - 7
