Published: June 24, 2019.
Boundless in Transylvania
On May 31, seventh-graders from the Reménység Catholic Elementary School traveled to Transylvania on a field trip. The trip was made possible through a grant program announced by the Ministry of Human Resources with the aim of enabling students from Hungary to meet with Hungarian communities across the border and to learn about the natural and cultural treasures of the ceded territories. The program was named “Határtalanul!” (Without Borders!). Students from the Reménység School participated in this program for the first time.
Our five-day trip began in Nagyszalonta with a visit to the János Arany Museum. The Csonka Tower, renovated in honor of the Arany commemorative year, welcomed visitors with a modern exhibition. From Nagyszalonta, our journey took us to Nagyvárad. We explored the cultural and historical significance of this city with a rich past; we visited the cathedral, the tomb of Saint Ladislaus, and took a walk along the famous row of canons’ houses. Afterward, crossing the Királyhágó Pass, we truly arrived in Transylvania. We concluded the day’s program with a visit to the Reformed church in Bánffyhunyad and our host village in Kalotaszeg, Zsobok. We stayed at the Bethesda Reformed Diaspora Boarding School in Zsobok.
On Friday morning, our first stop was the church in Körösfő, where our students learned about the richness of Kalotaszeg’s architecture, woodcarving, and embroidery. We paid our respects at the memorial stone of Pál Vasvári, who died a heroic death in this area in 1849 while fighting against invading Wallachian troops. Our study trip continued in Cluj-Napoca. Here we viewed the statue of King Matthias in the main square, St. Michael’s Cathedral, and King Matthias’s birthplace. During our brief stay here, our seventh-graders also learned about the history of Cluj-Napoca. Our next stop was Torda, where we descended into the depths of the salt mine and learned about the significance of salt mining. Our excursion continued with a walk through the Torda Gorge. Numerous legends about Saint Ladislaus are associated with this beautiful gorge; for example, we saw the hoofprint of Saint Ladislaus’s horse and collected Saint Ladislaus coins. At the end of our hike, we tasted micset and headed to our lodging in Nagyenyed.
The night we spent in Nagyenyed was followed by another challenging hike. We walked through the rugged, romantic landscape of the Remete Gorge, which led along a stream running between massive cliffs. At times, the trail narrowed so much that we had to use the handholds carved into the rock face; for the more adventurous, the stream provided a refreshing break and a safe way to proceed. In the afternoon, we went to Torockó, where the Danube Days festival was taking place. Many people from the surrounding area had come, and it was wonderful to experience that sense of togetherness.
On Sunday, we attended Mass in Gyulafehérvár, then laid wreaths at the grave of János Hunyadi and at the statue of Áron Márton, the martyred bishop of Transylvania. We also traveled to Vajdahunyad, where we visited the famous castle of the Hunyadi family, and on the way back, in Szászváros, we visited the St. Elizabeth Children’s Home run by the Dévai St. Francis Foundation, where we presented the children there with donations from the students of the Reménység School—books and sports equipment.
An essential element of the “Határtalanul!” program is that the seventh-graders participating in the field trip not only learn about historical sites but also have the opportunity to meet the Hungarians living there. This was made possible by our visits to the school in Magyarlapád, located near Nagyenyed, and to the Bethlen Diaspora Boarding School there. The locals welcomed us very warmly; we got a taste of Magyarlapád’s folk dances and folk songs, and then the children spent the rest of the time playing basketball. Getting to know each other through the game became a fond memory for both the locals and our group.
After spending the morning in Magyarlapád, we headed home. The final stop on our trip was Arad. We laid a wreath at the Freedom Statue, which has had a turbulent history, and from there we set off, arriving at our school on Petőfi Street in the evening.
I believe that during the trip, our students were able to gain insight into the lives of Hungarians living across the border and experience a sense of belonging. They were able to encounter aspects of Hungary’s rich culture that were previously unknown to most of them—specifically, Transylvania’s historical and architectural heritage—and to explore landscapes whose beauty leaves a lasting impression on the soul.
We would like to thank the Ministry of Human Capacities (EMMI) for providing this grant opportunity, and we thank the students for spreading the good reputation of the Reménység School and Kispest far and wide through their exemplary behavior. We hope that the “Határtalanul!” Program will, we hope, continue in the coming school year, and through our application, the seventh-graders of that year will also be able to travel to Transylvania.
The students’ accompanying teachers:
Margit Kuti, Dr. Marianna Soósné Varga, Szilvia Vácziné Boray, and Árpád Géczy
