Szadvar castle project and youth camp, Hungary

In the last few months, several smaller projects have been launched by the Friends of Szadvar regarding our beloved castle. Unfortunately, the usual autumnal event (Save the Castle Days) had been canceled due to weather conditions, which means that we could not clean the castle as it had been planned before. In spite of this, we could organize an in-person meeting on site where some of the most important organizations involved in our project were presented. Let’s see what has happened since the middle of August!

We observed in the last few years, that the weather is mostly sunny around Szadvar castle, except on the very weekend when the event is planned to be held. The same happened this October, the hill was so muddy due to the heavy raining that we could not reach the castle and the actual work became pointless but not completely. We invited the representatives of the most important organizations regarding our project, so we could sit down and talk about the most urgent things about the castle. It is very important to meet once a year to clarify the roles and tasks of each institution e.g. municipality, museum, national park etc.

The number of open-access publications has also increased since summer, as a new 3D reconstruction project was launched by a Hungarian GIS company. A short spectacular film shows us how should we imagine the life in the castle 3-400 years ago. We are very proud to be the subject of this projekt!

Another article was also published about the Association and the legends of the castle by one of our team members in a famous Hungarian magazine.

Next year, Friends of Szadvar will turn 20 years old. We are already preparing for the event, we would like to celebrate the past 20 years and the volunteers and supporters in a dignified manner: we are preparing with a celebration, a commemorative plaque and small gifts.

Thank your for being with us, in the name of the Association, I would like to wish You and Your family Happy holidays!

Our lives consist of constant changes, and this is no different with the Friends of Szadvar Castle. In order to progress, it is sometimes necessary to review the past, as our members did it during the election of a new leader and management team this August. But before I reveal the results, let's take a look at what's been happening around the association in the past few weeks!

In May, due to the heavy rain, the vegetation in the castle grew, making mowing necessary and urgent. A small enthusiastic team, equipped with tools, visited the castle, where they worked hard to clear the paths for visitors. In addition, painting and varnishing were also carried out on the necessary parts of the castle. 

At the beginning of the summer, several of our members participated in the three-day conference of the Castrum Bene Association dealing with castles. There we heard many interesting lectures about the castles and lifestyle during the Tatar invasion in 13th century Hungarian Kingdom.Since we rarely meet in person, the annual conference is an excellent opportunity to welcome old acquaintances and meet new potential supporters interested in historical castles.

At the beginning of August, the most anticipated event of the year, the archaeological excavation week arrived. More than 50 enthusiastic participants explored the secrets of the castle under the guidance of archaeologists, which became a new record! Student groups, families, and groups of friends arrived from different parts of the country to become archaeologists for a week and to find interesting and mysterious artefacts from the Middle Ages.

During this event, we needed to elect new leaders because the four-year term of the previous leadership expired. I can confidently say that the association has gained momentum, and young people have also been given space to develop it with their ideas.The new management would like to continue the work that has already been started, but new ideas and supporters are needed to continue the stuck cases.

Our next project will be to purchase a property in the village where we would like to store our equipment and could later develop it into accommodation where we can hold lectures.

We wish everyone a pleasant summer, see you in October!