| Gödöllő | |||
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| Front view of the palace of Gödöllő | |||
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Gödöllő
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Hungary | ||
| County | Pest | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | dr. György Gémesi | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 61.98 km2 (23.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2010) | |||
| • Total | 34 396 | ||
| • Density | 511.53/km2 (1,324.9/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal Code | 2100 | ||
| Area code(s) | 28 | ||
| Website | gödöllő.hu | ||
Gödöllő (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈɡødølːøː]) is a town situated in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about 30 km (20 mi) northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is about 31,000 according to the 2001 census. It can be easily reached from Budapest with the suburban railway (HÉV). Gödöllő is home to the Szent István Egyetem (Saint Stephen University), the main education institute of agriculture in Hungary. The palace at Gödöllő was originally built for the aristocratic Grassalkovich family, later Franz Josef, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary and his wife Elisabeth ("Sisi") had their summer residence here.
Hungary hosted the 4th World Scout Jamboree in 1933 at the royal forest of Gödöllő, in which 26,000 Scouts from 54 nations camped together. The camp chief was Pál Teleki, the member of the International Committee who later became Prime Minister of Hungary. This was the first time there was a Jamboree subcamp for Scouts taking part in aviation.
Communism saw much of the town's original one-storey housing levelled to make way for the blocks of flats which continue to dominate the town centre, as well as much of the royal forest and Elisabeth's Park levelled for industrial use.
The town's population is growing significantly since the 1990s. Many people move away from the capital city, Budapest, and settle in Gödöllő.
| 1900 | 1960 | 2001 | 2006 | 2008 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5893 | 17693 | 29445 | 31261 | 32907 | 34396 |
The following table shows the ethnic distribution of Gödöllő on the 2001 elections.
| All | Hungarians | Gypsies | Germans | Slovaks | Poles | Romanians | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 98.32% | 1.14% | 0.23% | 0.08% | 0.05% | 0.04% | 0.14% |
The Palace is one of the most important, largest monuments of Hungarian Palace architecture. Its builder, Count Antal Grassalkovich I (1694–1771) was a typical figure of the regrouping Hungarian aristocracy of the 18th century. He was a Royal Septemvir, president of the Hungarian Chamber, and confidant of Empress Maria Theresa (1740–1780). The construction began around 1733, under the direction of András Mayerhoffer (1690–1771) a Salzburg builder.
The Palace has a double U shape, and is surrounded by an enormous park. The building underwent several enlargements and modifications during the 18th century, its present shape was established in the time of the third generation of the Grassalkovich family. By then the building had 8 wings, and - besides the residential part - it contained a church, a theatre, a riding-hall, a hothouse, a greenhouse for flowers and an orangery.
After the male side of the Grassalkovich family died out in 1841, the Palace had several owners, and in 1867 it was bought for the Crown. The decision of Parliament designated it the resting residence of the Hungarian Monarch. This state lasted until 1918, thus Francis Joseph (1867–1916) and later Charles IV and the royal family spent several months in Gödöllő every year.
During this period the Palace became the symbol of independent Hungarian statehood, and, as a residential centre it had a political significance of it own. It was Empress Elisabeth (1837–1898) who specially loved staying in Gödöllő, where the Hungarian personnel and neighbourhood of the Palace always warmly welcomed her. Following her tragic death, a memorial park adjoining the upper-garden was built.
The period of the royal decades also brought their enlargements and modifications. The suites were made more comfortable, a marble stable and cart-house were built. The riding hall was re-edified.
Between the two world wars the Palace served as the residence for Regent Miklós Horthy. No significant building took place during this period, apart from an air-raid shelter in the southern front garden. After 1945 the Palace, like many other buildings in Hungary, fell into decay.
Soviet and Hungarian troops used the building, some of the beautifully decorated rooms were used for an Old People's Home, and the park was divided into smaller plots of land.
The protection of the Palace as a historical monument started in 1981, when the National Board for Monuments launched its Palace project. The most important tasks of preservation began in 1986 and were completed in the end of 1991. During this time the Palace was partly emptied. By 1990 the Soviet troops left the southern wing, then the Old People's Home was closed down.
During this time the roof of the riding-hall and the stable-wing was reconstructed, the façade of the building was renovated, as well as the trussing of the central wings and the double cupola. Research was carried out in the archives and in the building, and thus the different building periods of the monument were defined. Painted walls and rooms were uncovered which revealed the splendour of the 18-19th centuries. Architectural structures were discovered, and so were the different structures of the park.
The utilisation of the main front wings of the Palace was designed as a clear and well-developed architectural project. The first floor's 23 rooms (nearly 1000 sq. m.) accommodate the interior exhibition. The emphasis was laid on the revival of the atmosphere of the royal period and the introduction of the time of the Grassalkovich family.
Reconstruction is the principle of the interiors completed so far creating the state as it was around the 1880s. One of the most striking features of the Empress Elisabeth Exhibition is its historical accuracy.
The painted lobby and the Grand Hall on the first floor are also used for various programmes, with a link to the programme organisation and gastronomic activity unit on the ground floor. Right before the double drive there is a car park for the visitors, suitable for 60 cars and 5 buses at a time. The visitor service units and the connected infrastructure are situated on the ground floor: cloak-room, ticket office, tourist information centre, toilets (also for the disabled), payphone, etc. Various retail units are found on the northern side: a souvenir centre, photo studio, while on the southern side there is a coffee shop and several function rooms. The northern front garden, at the main façade with its so-called Italian bastions and walkways was reconstructed with historical authenticity in 1998. The cheerful inner court is a resting place, where various outdoor programmes are held. The 26-hectare English park, which is open to the public every year, was declared a nature reserve in 1998. Its botanical curiosities are much appreciated by the visitors. Riding competitions are held in the park annually.
Gödöllő's main square, Szabadság Tér (Liberty Square), is reached with a short walk from the suburban train (HEV) stop of the same name. Its sights are: right from Dózsa György road: the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Reformed Church (9 Liberty square), Town Hall (7 Liberty square), the World Peace Gong (right-hand of Town Hall), Hamvay Mansion (5 Liberty square), Gödöllő Town Museum (5 Liberty square), town market and the Pelican Well (5 Liberty square).
As a part of the New Hungary Development Plan, the town's main square has been completely renovated, with working completed in 2011, in an attempt to restore the atmosphere of the town to that for which it was known prior to the Socialist Party's building programme, which demolished much of the town centre to make way for blocks of flats. As part of the renovation, the square has been pedestrianised, forty-six Secession era-style street lights added, and a singing fountain is being built in front of the Reformed Church.
The baroque style Refomed Church, built in 1745 is an onion dome church with a beautifully simple facade. The building process was patronized; the money and the plot for the church was donated by Antal Grassalkovich I who demolished a Reformed Church built in 1657 at the site of the present Royal Castle. The new baroque church was consecrated in 1745. The church was renovated several times during history: in 1912 the complete painted and carved wooden ceiling and the chancel were changed into concrete. The prang in 1945 affected the church seriously and the renovation processes took very long. The renovation of the tower was finished in 1993.
The World Peace Gong on the Szabadság (Liberty) square is the fifth in the world and the first and only European peace gong which was given by Indonesia as a present and a symbol of world wide friendship to the town of Gödöllő. The gong, a symbol of fraternity, shows the flags of all the countries, the symbols of all the religions and the maps of the oceans of the Earth. It was created by the World Peace Committee as a memento for the bomb attack in Bali in 2002. The Gong was offered to Gödöllő in 2007 as an acknowledgement of advances in civilization, technology and economy as well as the peaceful social circumstances in Gödöllő. The Gong weighs 150 kg; it is a 2m diameter bronze circle relic, the work of Djuyoto Suntani, an Indonesian sculptor. The gong was inaugurated on 2 May 2007. The story of the gong is engraved in the small plaque in front and the park around it is populated with shrub species typically found in the Tropics. The gong remains in excellent condition, apart from the scratching out, prior to 2009, of the Israeli flag.
The mansion, a one-story characteristic baroque building in the town center recalls Gödöllő's baroque era with its typical yellow color, the wrought-iron lamps, and the inner garden with its arcade. Ferenc Hamvay, landed lord of Gödöllő, built this mansion (a ground level building at the time) in 1662. In the 18th century it was rebuilt and became a one story building when Antal Grassalkovich I made it a guesthouse. Then it fulfilled a number of functions: for example, Gödöllő's first pharmacy was opened in it in 1814. Some of the ceiling decorations in the interiors of the ground floor are probably left from that time. In the 19th century it became the hotel bearing the name of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. From this time on the hotel was the venue for numerous cultural and artistic events like theatre performances, it hosted a casino and a number of balls in its Ball Room. The Commemorative Room arranged in 1927 in the school operating in the building until 1988 is home to a collection of souvenirs of Gödöllő's history and cultural life. Later on in 1978 another collection on local history was exhibited, the successor of which came to be the Town Museum Gödöllő. The Hamvay Mansion and the market in its garden were renovated in 1998-99; the works were awarded numerous national and international prizes.
The modern town market is a lively place. Open on weekday mornings through to the early afternoon, it includes outdoor and indoor stands selling fresh produce, flowers, and local craft work, with some stall holders wearing traditional dress. The market has several cafes and a bar.
At the main entrance to the town market stands the Pelican Well; it includes a design featuring a pelican that feeds its young with its own blood.
The university headquarters are located in the picturesque Gödöllő, but altogether nine faculties and an institution accept students in Budapest, Jászberény, Békéscsaba, Szarvas and Gyula. Most of the schools in Szent István University have one or even two-century long histories. SZIU is Hungary's largest agricultural higher educational institution.
More than 18,000 students study in the seven campuses of the university. In addition to conventional agricultural and environmental sciences, Szent Istvan University offers courses in veterinary medicine, environmental sciences, mechanical engineering, economy and social sciences, architecture, water supply management, medical sciences as well as applied arts.
Amerigo Tot is a sculptor of Hungarian origin. His copper relief created on an imposing 120 square metres entitled "The Apotheosis of the Nucleus" can be seen in the University Hall of the Faculty of Technical Studies. "I wanted to show the apotheosis of the nucleus in copper...The nucleus, he said, is a general thought. It is the grain for the plant and the beginning for biology as well.' Theoretically grain and soil and woman go together..." said Tot about the theoretical background of the relief. His work was originally designed for the gate of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. The first design was ready in 1970 but, due to a series of historical events it was only inaugurated in 1983 in the presence of the artist, who was by then seriously ill.
The museum hosts the second largest collection of agricultural machinery in the world. On its 6,000 square meters it is home to a collection of more than 2,000 agricultural machines that are still working. Six exhibitions introduce agricultural machinery and curiosities in the history of agricultural techniques. The visitor will be introduced the 2.5 million year-old history of food acquisition and production through some models reconstructed with the help of original designs and machines. It is a true adventure of understanding mankind's tough fight for the daily bread. The exhibitions show the development of the machines from very early times like wind, water and steem powered agricultural machines to modern ones used today. Some 200 agricultural models show the development of food producing machinery together with documentation on the technical history of the respective time. Hungaricums (traditional Hungarian food types) are on display here: more than 300 types of food introduce the traditional food of Hungarians arranged in a thematic order according to regions. The complete history of Hungarian agricultural production is explained in an exhibition in which the visitor can see soil cultivating machines, plant cultivating machines and those for animal husbandry used by the ploughmen in earlier times to modern machines used today