Edit Lászlóné Szabó, the head of the library of the Cultural Centre of Perkáta, welcomed the audience filling the ceremonial hall of the castle. She expressed her gratitude to the mayor of the settlement, István Oláh, who was present at the event and to the support of the local government. In connection with the exhibition on the life of Charles I (IV), she highlighted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the beatification of the saintly emperor and king.
Director Gergely Prőhle described the Foundation’s history, structure, operation and the various stages of processing the heritage from the beginning to the present day. In his illustrated presentation, he outlined the politically conscious life of our eponym, followed by the components of our strategic goals and programmes: in addition to historical aspects, he mentioned the European spirit, Christian values, external relations and international networking.
The nephew of the last lord of the castle also attended the event. Count József Hunyady, who was brought up in Italy, reminisced with personal stories. Alongside his family history, he underlined the social responsibility and charitable activities of his ancestors, which he learnt from the stories of the locals when he moved to Hungary. He also recalled that the Daughters of Charity, named after Saint Vincent de Paul, were invited to the village by his forebears, where they founded a school and a kindergarten.
Anikó Bogó, director of the General Community Centre of Perkáta, presented a local history lecture on the castle’s past and utilisation. Maria Theresa granted The Perkáta manor to the Győry family as a gift of allegiance. In 1936, Countess Terézia Győry died without any direct descendants, so the estate was inherited by Count Imre Hunyady, whose mother was Felicia Győry. After the Second World War, the castle was nationalised, and a primary school was established in the main building; then, the community centre and library were housed in it. In 2015, the castle was renovated, and the Chinese-Hungarian Cultural Tourism Centre started its activities.
Our Foundation’s deputy scientific director, Gergely Fejérdy, outlined the relationship between the Hunyady family and Otto von Habsburg. The son of Felicia Győry and Imre Hunyady von Kéthely, József Hunyady was assistant to Charles IV, later became the first Hungarian Chamberlain, and in 1918 was knighted in the Order of the Golden Fleece. József Hunyady served the royal family and helped them in exile. He played an intermediary role in the upbringing of the children, including Otto von Habsburg’s, and was the official representative of the royal family in Hungary between the two world wars. Otto maintained correspondence with several descendants of the Hunyady family, some of which are in the care of our Foundation.
After the enthralling speeches, the Kankalin Néptánccsoport (Kankalin Folk Dance Group) from Perkáta delighted the enthusiastic audience with a Hungarian dance of “Magyarpalatka”. A special moment of the evening was when Judit Nyitrainé Heim and Levente Nyitrai – descendants of the last chief administrator of the castle, Antal Oppenheimer – handed over a donation of documents preserved in their family archives to the host institution.
Afterwards, Edit Lászlóné Szabó, the host of the event, ceremonially opened the travelling exhibitions of our Foundation, giving the opportunity to visit the other displays in the castle as well. A reception for informal discussions concluded the evening.
We thank all the colleagues of the General Community Centre of Perkáta and Lilla László, initiator of the event, for their excellent and comprehensive organisation!
Photographs by Katalin Szarka-Áldott and Kitti Szentes
