Active locations

– The sites designated as “Green Skanzen” are related to the themes of sustainability and environmental awareness.

Dressing-up

Region XI: Transylvania, Building from Kézdivásárhely (Târgu Secuiesc)

Visit the DRESSING-UP fashion boutique and choose the outfit that suits your taste for the duration of your stay. We offer the most modern and fashionable clothing from the 1910s for men, women, and children alike at affordable prices. We only ask that you don’t forget to capture your experiences and spread the word about our DRESSING-UP business! At this location, visitors of all ages can continue their museum tour dressed in period attire and become part of the hustle and bustle of this small Transylvanian town. You can stroll through the city streets in early 20th-century attire or even stop by the Korzó Coffee House for a cup of coffee.

Our costume rental is open only on weekends and holidays from April through October. You can use the service for extra fee!

Witch's Brew

I. Perkupa, Northern Hungarian Village

The plants and trees are not only a source of medicine, but also the ingredients for fragrant honey or a delightful summer syrup. In our Witch’s Brew, we’ll show you simple techniques and inexpensive tricks for using herbs to strengthen your body and treat minor ailments. Traditional, eco-conscious knowledge is still worth its weight in gold today. Visitors can see wild and cultivated plants collected on the Skanzen grounds being processed – and even view them while they’re still fresh. The room is always filled with the delicate scent of the plants and flowers that have been recently collected and are on display.

Open: daily during peak season, in the museum hours.

Great-Grandmothers’ Kitchen

Region IX: Western Transdanubia, House from Baglad

At the house from Baglad, visitors can learn about our great-grandmothers’ kitchen practices, with a focus on food preservation. Using tried-and-true methods, we preserve homemade jams and syrups without any artificial additives. At one of our visitors’ favorite spots, they can sample syrups, jams, and compotes depending on the season. These delicacies are made from local ingredients, including herbs and fruits grown right here in the Skanzen. During the Green Skanzen theme year, the focus is on preservation and seasonal eating. And if you’re curious about preparing traditional, regional dishes, be sure to check out our recipe collection!

Open: daily during peak season, in the museum  hours.

The Wood House

Region IX: Western Transdanubia, Iklódbördöce Barn

The Wood House is an interactive exhibition and playhouse housed in a massive barn with wattle-and-daub walls. Here we present wood as a living material and as a raw material. Visitors can not only view the wooden tools and woodworking equipment but also try them out. Younger children can play with wooden toys and learn about the properties of different types of wood.

Open: during peak season, every day in  museum hours, except Tuesdays. Every day in June.

Village Laundry

VIII. Bakony and Balaton Uplands Region, Köveskáli Laundry

Traditional laundry differed in many ways from the routine, everyday activity we are accustomed to today. What is now an automated process carried out by machines in the 21st century was, half a century ago, a carefully planned activity requiring great knowledge, experience, and attention to detail. However, if “stubborn” stains appear on our clothes, it doesn’t hurt to take our grandmothers’ advice. In our village laundry, we demonstrate the traditional washing process and old-fashioned techniques. And during summer break, you can even try your hand at washing in a tub.

Open: The exhibition is open every day during peak season, but the active site is only in operation from July to the end of August.

Corn, Puliszka

Region XI: Transylvania – House from Balavásár (Bălăușeri)

Corn, Turkish wheat—that’s what makes great puliszka! Learn about corn’s journey from America to Transylvania, and discover how puliszka is made from corn: try your hand at grinding, milling, sifting, and cooking. Taste one of Transylvania’s most famous dishes made from one of the best-known gluten-free ingredients.

Open: during peak season, daily in museum hours: corn processing on weekdays, tasting on weekends.

Chest painting

XI. Transylvania Region: House from Homoródalmás (Merești)

The tradition of painting floral designs on furniture spread from princely courts and churches to the villages of Szeklerland through the servants who worked in the towns. In the house from Homoródalmás furnished with painted furniture, visitors can not only admire the objects but also color in floral motifs and even virtually paint a chest.

Open: daily during peak season, in museum hours.

Honey Farm (Mézes porta)

I. Northern Hungarian Village Region, Filkeháza

The presence of pollinators is crucial to maintaining the planet’s ecological balance, which is why it is important to raise awareness about what we can do to help them. Beekeeping knowledge was not limited to the art of honey production; it was intertwined with an understanding of nature, folk beliefs, and folk religiosity. In addition to tasting different types of honey, visitors can learn about bee society, beekeeping tools, and the uses of honey.

Open: daily during the peak season, in the museum hours.

Post Office

Region XI: Transylvania, Post Office from Székelyudvarhely (Odorheiu Secuiesc)

Before the world of the internet and mobile phones, handwritten letters played an important role in maintaining contact and communicating. At the Post Office, children can experience what it was like to work in a post office 100 years ago: they can weigh mail items and sort letters by address in the sorting cabinet on display in the processing room. They can see what a pneumatic tube system looks like, write period postcards, or test their speed with a Morse code game.

Open: daily during peak season, in the museum  hours.

Beadwork of the Sárköz

VII. Southern Transdanubia region, House from Őcsény

It was believed that when a young bride from the Sárköz donned her ornate traditional costume, she was worth at least the price of an acre of land. The villages of the Sárköz in Tolna County quickly grew wealthy as a result of the 19th-century regulation of the Danube. All of this had an impact on lifestyle, home decor, and traditional dress. Not only are the clothes, embroidery, and woven fabrics unique, but so is the pearl jewelry. At our Őcsény workshop, skilled hands craft exquisite necklaces, and visitors can also make their own jewelry.

Open: during peak season, every day in museum hours; the craft workshop is available on weekends in May and September, and every day from June through the end of August.

Textile Workshop

II. Upland Market Town Region, Merchant's House from Mád

At this interactive exhibit, you can learn how fabrics and textiles used to make clothing, bedding, and tablecloths were produced in peasant households. During the Green Skanzen’s thematic year, you can try out techniques that will help you repair and repurpose your own clothes and household textiles: rag rug weaving, darning, patchwork, etc. We’ll give you ideas on what you can make from torn or worn-out fabrics.

Open: daily during peak season starting in May, in museum hours.

Watermill

VIII. Bakony and Balaton Uplands region, Watermill from Nyírád

In Hungary, until the early 20th century, hydropower was one of the most important methods of energy production. In terms of numbers: in 1885, there were 22,647 water wheels and 99 turbines in operation in Hungary. The operation of a watermill is a mysterious, complex, and at the same time marvelous piece of mechanics. It’s no wonder that the resourceful millers were considered both eccentric and knowledgeable—they not only understood how this incredible structure worked but also how to repair it. At our living museum site, visitors can learn about the lives of water millers and, of course, how water mills operate. The water mill can also be viewed while it’s in operation.

The watermill is started up during peak season, every day at 11:00 a.m., 12:40 p.m., and 2:40 p.m. during museum hours.