Step into the shoes of Hungary’s rural past every weekend at the Open-Air Museum (Skanzen) in Szentendre, where old traditions leap off the pages of history books and into your hands. With everything from pretzel baking to bead-threading, miller’s work, and age-old tricks, it’s a lively time machine for families, solo explorers, and curious kids. The museum’s sprawling grounds are dotted with active sites—easy to locate thanks to the iconic gearwheel signs—that invite visitors into the rhythms of a vanished world.
Pretzel Baking, Witch’s Brew, and Beads
Begin your journey at the Erdőhorváti house, where you can uncover the secrets of the Erdőhorváti pretzel (Erdőhorváti perec), a beloved treat once known far and wide across the region. Watch, learn, and taste these iconic snacks, baked exactly as local women once did to supplement their income at markets.
Just steps away, in the witch’s kitchen (Perkupa house), herbs become magic as staff demonstrate how to whip up ointments, fragrant oils, or soothing teas using tricks passed down through generations. This year, there’s a special focus on folk remedies from World War I—discover homemade treatments sent to the front and the propaganda campaigns that rallied the home front to collect medicinal plants.
Over at the Őcsény house, be mesmerized by bead-threading from Sárköz, an area that flourished thanks to 19th-century river regulation. Splendid beaded jewelry, once a sign of wealth and tradition, comes to life in the hands of skilled artisans, showing how a bride’s outfit could be worth as much as an acre of land.
Meet the Miller, Wash the Village Way, and Step into School
Don’t miss the Nyirád watermill, showcasing the fascinating mechanics that powered early 20th-century Hungary—at one time, more than 22,000 waterwheels and nearly 100 turbines ran the country. See the mill in action, watch how clever millers kept everything running, and feel the ancient cogs turning as they did more than a century ago. Live demonstrations run at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (on weekends), and 2:30 p.m.
Traditional laundry happens just as it did before washing machines took over, and yes, your grandma’s stain-removal tricks have their moment in the Nyirád village house. Learn how washing once required skill and serious muscle.
The Kondorfa school transports you right into a 19th-century classroom, where a single respected teacher handled all four primary grades. Take a seat at the wooden desk, count on an abacus, and solve wartime picture riddles from Kis Pajtás (Little Buddy), a children’s magazine of the era, for a glimpse of World War I propaganda woven into lessons.
Kitchen Secrets, Candle Making, Weaving, and Costumes
Sample time-tested preservation methods at the Baglad house—learn how fruits and herbs were turned into jam and syrup without chemicals. On weekends, taste traditional dishes prepared before your eyes.
At the Harka house, explore the art of candle dipping, a favorite lighting method before electricity arrived. Summer heat puts this workshop on hold in July and August, but the tools and methods await your discovery during cooler months.
The Jánossomorja house’s textile workshop traces the journey from raw fiber to fabric, focusing on World War I’s effects on clothing and textile making. Participate in practical knitting, crocheting, and even workshop days making soldier finger-puppets—reenacting the call to knit and craft for the troops.
New Interactive Children’s Spots
Ignite your curiosity at the House of Light (Harka house), where old-world lighting and superstitions meet science—and you can solve mysteries in the interactive exhibit.
The Wood House is a massive timber barn dedicated to woodworking and timber as a living material. Experiment with old tools, craft wooden soldiers, and try your hand at classic forest games.
Step into a 1900s photo studio in the Mád merchant house and play photographer with both antique and modern cameras, staging your own sets and taking home your pictures.
Relax in the Fairy Tale Nook (Hajdúbagosi house), where families lounge and listen to wartime stories straight from an original battlefield diary, bringing World War I daily life to the modern ear.
Farm Life and Super-Sized Fun
At the Nagykunság animal farm, meet Hungarian breeds—the curly-haired Racka sheep (racka juh), the hefty Mangalica pig (mangalica), sturdy Grey cattle (szürkemarha), and the ever-watchful Puli dog (puli). Children learn why animals were kept for utility, not as pets, and are cared for by trained staff.
Let your kids become mini-farmers at the Csököly site, where they can practice everything from milking cows to sowing carrots, and safely roleplay every farm activity their imaginations can conjure, from tending a real vegetable patch to miming the harvest.
Step into Csodapajta (Marvel Barn), where ordinary farm objects have expanded to ten times their normal size. Explore interactive displays and follow grain as it transforms into bread—or churn virtual butter from giant crocks!
The Fairy Tale Garden playground, created by sculptor Boldizsár Kő and friends, immerses you in beloved Hungarian folk tales. Ride on seesaws with Little Fatty (Kicsi Kövér), slide on a fish, race around a cockerel climbing pole, or spin a piglet-dancing squirrel wheel—and, of course, read the stories while you play.
The Puppet Theater and the Little Store
Take the stage at the puppet theater in Harka house—put on a character, wield a puppet, or create a new story with friends and family, using a treasure trove of props and scripts inspired this year by true tales from György Kovács’s World War I diaries. Peek through old keyholes to discover different types of puppets; sew new characters in the textile room.
Finish your visit by shopping at the Kisbolt (Little Store), a kid-sized shop near the Highlands (Felföldi) merchant area, where little ones can play behind the counter and experience trading in pre-supermarket fashion with real goods, working scales, and an old-school register.
The weekends at the Open-Air Museum (Skanzen) in Szentendre offer the ultimate living history experience—interactive, educational, and fun-filled. Check their website for opening hours and updates, as dates and programs may change.
