Green Exhibitions
The Skanzen’s Green Exhibitions explore issues of sustainability and seek to answer the question of what we can learn from the everyday wisdom of the past to build a more livable future.
Green Exhibitions
Together for Sustainability!
I. Northern Hungary region, Granary (Magtár)
The exhibition that most comprehensively conveys the message of the “Green Skanzen” theme opened in the Magtár building of the Hungarian Open Air Museum under the title Together for Sustainability! The exhibition is remarkable not only for its relevance but also for the way it was prepared: 17 curators worked together to develop it, linking each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals defined by the UN to a solution that was a natural part of everyday life in peasant culture.
Indestructible Objects – Everyday Objects and Fine Art
Skanzen Gallery
The Hungarian Open Air Museum places special emphasis on issues of sustainability and ecological thinking in its thematic programs. The first exhibition of this year’s series of programs, organized under the Green Skanzen initiative, is “Indestructible Objects – Everyday Objects and Fine Art,” which opened on April 9, 2026. The exhibition demonstrates how a worn-out object can be repurposed and even become a medium for artistic expression.
Architectural Knowledge Base – Folk Architectural Models for Contemporary Sustainable Architecture
I. Northern Hungary region, Erdőhorváti Methodological House
The exhibition titled “Architectural Knowledge Base – Folk Architectural Models for Contemporary Sustainable Architecture” explores what we can learn from folk architecture, focusing on the contemporary interpretation of traditional knowledge and its practical lessons. In the exhibition space’s kitchen, visitors first receive a theoretical introduction to the topic, and then in the first room, we explore the role the museum can play as a knowledge center in preserving the heritage of folk architecture. The Skanzen plays a prominent role as a guardian and mediator of traditional architectural methods and knowledge, as do the local heritage houses as examples of on-site preservation.
In the rear exhibition space, we provide practical guidance for those who own this type of traditional building. Here, we explain step by step how to approach these structures with expertise and respect, facilitating their preservation and modernization. The installation of three small houses in the courtyard offers new perspectives toward the present and the future, providing inspiration on how to rethink the values of folk architecture in a contemporary context.
PontITT – Together for a More Livable World
Ground Floor of the Hungarian Open Air Museum Entrance Building
In 2025 and 2026, our exhibitions and programs – titled “Green Skanzen” – will explore the theme of sustainability based on the museum’s collection.
Poverty, hunger, climate change, environmental pollution, species on the brink of extinction. These terms have become commonplace in the media, which is perhaps why we pay them less and less attention. At the same time, climate anxiety has emerged as a mental health condition. It’s worth taking a little time to consider this issue—the stakes are our own lives and the future of our children and grandchildren.
The Earth’s clock is ticking faster and faster. As the world’s economy and population grow, social inequalities have become extreme, the quality of the environment has begun to deteriorate, and we are increasingly experiencing the harmful consequences of climate change. Technological progress, continuous innovation, growing waste volumes, global warming, drinking water shortages, overpopulation and migration, wars, and pandemics present us with unprecedented challenges. If we do not act, the consequences will be unforeseeable and irreversible.
How can Skanzen help? In 2025 and 2026, our exhibitions and programs titled “Green Skanzen” will explore the theme of sustainability based on the museum’s collection.
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In a sustainable world, society, economy, and nature rely on one another in a more balanced way. Its core values are social justice, a systems approach, and a high quality of the environment, which we can ensure through the wise use of natural resources.
In our PontITT exhibition, we highlight interesting facts and present Skanzen’s proposals for making our world more livable in the near and distant future.
This is more than just a farm!
VI. Great Hungarian Plain region, Farmstead for animal husbandry from Nagykunság
The complex of buildings at the farmstead is reopening its doors. In addition to knowledge derived from the landscape and nature, visitors can explore topics related to everyday life, such as household management, shopping, clothing, living spaces, and lifestyle. We present the knowledge and perspectives characteristic of the old peasant way of life, preserved in the museum’s collection, without claiming to be exhaustive. Explore the exhibitions in the three buildings and examine traditional perspectives on sustainability and its elements with a critical eye.
Opening: coming soon