Day trip (not) known to Hungary

National Historical Memorial Park Ópusztaszer is about 50 km from the Serbian-Hungarian border, about ten kilometers east of the old times Szeged-Budapest, and provides a variety of activities almost as interesting and children and the elderly, and therefore can serve as a place for a real family outing .

How many of our people during the sanctions nineties only sped through Hungary in an effort to somehow get hold of the Budapest Ferihegy Airport and from there as soon as the summer of the world, or that the endlessly lengthy journeys by bus arrives to Austria, avoiding both Croatia and Slovenia, or in Hungarian supermarkets procurement everything is lacking or too expensive in the domestic! Some of the ancient Osmomartovski trips or school excursions met Budapest, but still the majority of our citizens, regardless of their geographical proximity, Hungary remained fairly unknown country. Let's try to do a little change - for example, a trip to Ópusztaszer (Ópusztaszer).
National Historical Memorial Park Ópusztaszer is about 50 km from the Serbian-Hungarian border, about ten kilometers east of the old times Szeged-Budapest, and provides a variety of activities almost as interesting and children and the elderly, and therefore can serve as a place for a real family outing .

SHORT HISTORY First a little history: according to tradition, when the 896 Hungarian tribes arrived in the Carpathian Basin, their leaders have organized a meeting at which they agreed on how to divide the territory and its newly-office relationships. The oldest record of this event is found in the chronicle Gesta Hungarorum, by an anonymous author wrote about 300 years later. It is clear that the truth of these stories can not be verified, and it is not possible to identify the exact place where it all happened.
At the site of today's National Park, in the 12th century was built the Benedictine monastery, which, together with the surrounding village, destroyed in the wars with the Turks in the 16th century. Archaeological excavations carried out around the remains of the monastery in the second half of the 19th century, among others, are presented in the light of day and the entire cemetery of the first Hungarian settlers, leading some to believe that this is a place to connect with reverence about its said meeting tribal leaders. As part of the celebration of a thousand years of the arrival of the Hungarians in Pannonia, a monument was erected in 1896, and started the preparations for the construction of the memorial park, but not much has been done, both because of lack of funds, but also because of the world wars.
And the Communists were sensitive to the symbolic significance Ópusztaszer, so that this place was chosen for the first ceremonial division of documents on the transfer of land ownership to farmers under the land reform. Construction of the park began in 1970, and finally was opened in 1995, but they were later added new content.

The most interesting FACILITIES There are pretty: a paved path from the entrance leads to the already mentioned monument to the late 19th century, and left him see the circular Rotunda building which houses Ciklorama Arrival of Hungarians in Pannonia. It is a figure of monumental dimensions (height 15 m, length 120 m, diameter 38 m), which is Arpad Festi (Feszty) with the help of several other painters painted in 1894. The specificity of such images, very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is that they are placed on the inside of some sort of large cylinders, so that completely surround the audience, watching them with a platform in the middle of the cylinder; region, which is closer to the observers and objects in it are three-dimensional and gradually merge with the image, making the illusion of space even more plausible. Visits CIKLORAME organized in groups every 30 minutes.
On the ground floor Rotunda there are several smaller exhibitions: Promenade 1896 (reconstruction looks the street in the small and large Hungarian town of the late 19th century, with realistic made storefronts and figures passersby), exhibition Wax figures of Hungarian history and a copy of the crown, as and one anthropological exhibition about how experts reconstruct facial features based on the skull bones.
Behind the rotunda is a beautiful artificial lake with an exhibition on the construction of boats and fishing (swimming is not permitted), and near the ruins of the monastery of which have already been discussed; the remains of the old walls are protected by modern bricks, so that at first glance the entire structure acts as a new building.

A little further on is a series of buildings designed by the pioneer of organic architecture in Hungary Đerđi Troops (Gyorgy CSET), inspired by the nomadic yurts first settlers. In them is the exhibition Man and forests whose most interesting exhibit represents a cross section of a mammoth redwood trees as old as 1,800 years, with a diameter of 6.3 m, a thickness of 0.8 m and a weight of 7.5 t. There is also a museum village with houses and other buildings for conventional farms of southern Hungary (some are originals transferred from various locations and some are newly built copies), and there are windmills, school, post office, village shop (where you can buy a variety of antique cakes, silk candy, sugar Luse, etc.), and even a small railway station with narrow gauge train (which, unfortunately, only serves as a stationary exhibit). The interior of the building is fully equipped with authentic furniture and other objects from households and can be considered, so that you feel as if you have a time machine back about a century ago. There are also workshops rural artisans, where the weekend demonstrations of traditional crafts.
In the nearby park nomads (regardless of the name, it's just one of the facilities in the park Ópusztaszer, not special park) twice a day (at 11:30 and 14:30) are displayed in a variety of riding skills and shooting a bow and arrow.
During the summer time are organized thematically weekends with performances by folklore groups, craft fairs, medieval knights' tournaments and shows historical battles (for details, see the program of events on the website of the park).
PRACTICAL ADVICE
GETTING THERE BY CAR?
Although there is the possibility to use local buses and trains, they are of interest only to those visitors who come to Ópusztaszer of Szeged and the environment, so it is for all other only realistic option arrival by car.
If you manage to see all of the above (and for this you will need at least four hours), it is important to start early, at least about seven in the morning, because you, if you move from Belgrade, 250 km waiting times. Keep in mind that during some summer weekends, the wave of returns from vacation or just go to him, to cross the border at Horgos waiting for several hours. Therefore, it is good to know that in the near there are other border crossings to Hungary: Kelebija and Đala (the latter years working 8:00 to 18:00 and can be used only Serbian and Hungarian citizens).

But, most likely to cross the border at Horgos. There is no need to continue riding on the right highway M5 toward Budapest, the more you need to buy a vignette for at least four days, but immediately after the police and customs controls and homes that sell vignettes (there is also an exchange office), turn right onto the old road 5 to Budapest (which is not paid) - the direction of the joints (Röszke, the first frontier town in Hungary) and Szeged (Szeged), and then just follow the direction of Budapest. Polish roads are very good quality and excellent vertical signalization, so there is no danger to wander, so you GPS is not necessary. Intersections with other roads at the same level are usually resolved as circuits. Remember that the seat belt, use of lights during the day outside built-up areas and labels SRB mandatory.
At the exit from Szeged from the right side of the shopping center (Cora, Praktiker, Metro) where there are exchange offices and ATMs.
BREAK THE CAKES
The path continues along the Balastje (Balástya) to Kistelek (Zhitomir), the town in which on a small roundabout with a fountain in the middle, separating the right time for Ópusztaszer. If you need a break, instead of to the right, turn left and again the first street to the left and you will find yourself on the left in front of a pastry shop Palma with good and cheap cakes.
And when they arrive ...
Ópusztaszer away from Kistelek nine kilometers. At the entrance to the city, turn right, then left again - just follow the signs with an inscription in black paint - and you made it to the parking lot (paid!) At the entrance to the park. When purchasing a ticket, note the contents, because there are a variety of combinations. Anyway, it's cheaper to buy combined tickets, but to pay for any particular content.

WHERE lunch? Since you after visiting the park certainly be hungry, you could stop by the Seri Card (Szeri Csarda), some 200 meters before the entrance to the park. The ambiance is decorated in the manner of Road House from the 19th century, the choice of food is great, so that you will not be easy to choose; be sure to try the local white wine Kevedinka (kovidinka). For music will take care of artists on the zither, who played on Saturday and Sunday at lunchtime. Lunch (soup, main dish, salad, dessert) costs about 2,400 forints per person (9.07 euros, or about 907 pounds).
Quicker and cheaper alternative to handle the card (but with no Hungarian atmosphere) are Greek, Italian and Chinese fast-food restaurants in the aforementioned hypermarket Cora at the entrance to Szeged, and there will probably already fit to return for purchases.
MANDATORY COSTS (for four people)
The fuel (gasoline, spending 7 l per 100 km) 4,200 dinars
Toll in Serbia 1,140 pounds
Parking Ópusztaszer (500 forints, 1.9 euro) 190 dinars
Tickets for Ópusztaszer (4 x 3,500 forints, 13.22 euros) 5,288 dinars
TOTAL 10,818 pounds
 Ticket prices for Ópusztaszer vary from 2,200 forints (8.31 euros, around 831 US) to 5,500 forints (20.79 euros, about 2,079 pounds), depending on the content, while that of 3,500 forints (13.22 euros, around 1,322 dinars) includes the most interesting.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Website Ópusztaszer: www.opusztaszer.hu
Opening hours: daily 9:00 to 18:00 (from 1 April to 31 October)
Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 to 16:00 (from November 1 to March 31)