The story of the castle starts in 1912 when Jenő Bory bought an area of two acres in Máriavölgy ( Mary Valley) near Székesfehérvár where there was only a press-house. He spent the summers here with his family. Then the war came and after it he began building his castle. Jenő Bory regarded the castle as his own piece of art, not so much a building but rather a statue. His house had been building and spreading year by year without plans. This oversized home with its seemingly self-centered ornaments is a very peculiar example of symbolic architecture in Hungary. Even the layout of the castle is symbolic, it centres around two notions: the chapel of marital love and his workshop symbolising the two cornerstones of Jenő Bory's life. Hundreds of statues  can be found  in the building made with numerous techniques. The walls are covered with paintings. Mosaics, glass-paintings and ornamental fountains appear in the most unexpected places both inside and out. The buildings were not guessed out  on the drawing-board but were developed on the spot as poetic details of the underlying idea. Bory the planning architect was also the building supervisor, the foreman and the bricklayer, too. With the help of a few simple workmen he built, expanded, ornamented and enriched this beautiful creation from 1923 until the day he died in 1959. From the dungeon of the castle to the viewing tower the greatest difference is 30 meters. There are seven towers, thirty bigger and smaller rooms amongst them three workshops and there are statues, paintinhgs, antiques and objects of art everywhere. On the corridors running around the hundred-column court of the castle stand the great characters of Hungarian history, heroes, minstrels and kings from Grand Prince Árpád to Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos.

The Moskovszky collection was taken in Székesfehérvár in 1998. We can discover the interiors of the  different ages and styles in the dolls' rooms. Tiny Parisian watch, little caps in which the parents took home some candies for their children, cutlery made of stag beetle horn, and couple of toys can be seen and tried out in this special museum.

The Vörösmarty Theatre in Székesfehérvár is one of the most modern and still one of the oldest theatres. The original theatre was opened on 22^nd August 1874 and at the inauguration Mór Jokai and Pál Gyulai were present representing the Kisfaludy Association as well as László Arany and Ferenc Pulszky representing the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The inaugural speech written by Jókai for this event was delivered by Róza Laborfalvy; the gala performance was Bánk Bán from József Katona. The theatre in Fehérvár had a great past and played a glorious role in the history of Hungarian acting.

The most prominent Hungarian actors and actresses appeared on its stage: Irén Varsányi, Gyula Hegedűs, Kálmán Rózsahegyi, Margit Ladomerszky, Gizi Bajor.

During World War II, in 1944, the historic theatre was destroyed, and was completely burnt out. Through a large community effort the people of the city rebuilt the theatre that opened again on 7^th November 1962: at this time the Budapest National Theatre performed Csongor és Tünde from Vörösmarty with the leading roles played by Mari Törőcsik and Tibor Bitskey and directed by Endre Marton. The building of the theatre was renovated in 2005. The former fittings on the inside were completely removed, the auditorium was given back its theatrical characteristic, its circle was removed and boxes were built and now the whole auditorium has air-conditioning. The Great Theatre was given state-of-the-art technology: new lighting bridges, new spotlights and motorised scene-shifting mechanism replaced the former, out-of-date stage technology.

Palotaváros (Palace Town) was formed by two medieval suburbs, Sziget and Rácváros. The main street of Rácváros, the northern part of Palotaváros, was Rác Street which concentrates everything that can be linked with the history of the local Rác (Rascian, Serb) nationality: the church, the Serbian school, the farmers, the craftsmen and the houses of the merchants. The Serbian Orthodox church located in the street is a valuable listed building which stands out from other churches in the city because its simplicity, modesty and small size. It was built in baroque style with one isle and one steeple. It was dedicated to the memory of the birth of John the Baptist.

Rác Street has been preserved since the 1980s as an open air museum at the foot of the ten-story high block of flats in Palotaváros with the Serbian Orthodox church at its centre and with buildings that preserve the original atmosphere of Rácváros and reflect the elements of folk architecture but have new functions.

The exhibition presenting the history and ethnography of Palotaváros was opened in 1988 at number 11 Rác Street entitled ‘Memories of Palotaváros’. This is one of the most typical farmer’s houses which completely preserved the original furnishing of the house. In the back room an exhibition shows the former society and lifestyle of Palotaváros.

This part of the town was famous for its craftsmen and tradesmen. The area was dissected by creeks and canals which were fitting for trades needing a large supply of water (curriers, scourers, cobblers, tanners). The Serbs (Rascians) settling here in the 17^th to 18^th century made a living from trading. We can study objects, tools and documents connected to these trades of the Palotaváros in the exhibition.

In a different room we can see the tools, machines and equipment of the Dietrich hat-making workshop. The founder of this famous hat-making dynasty of Palotaváros was Ede Dietrich who qualified in 1891 and who was followed by his son, István in the workshops operating in Szömörce and later Csapó Street. The museum bought the hat-making tools and all the equipment from him in 1986.

An escape room where the game keeps you hostage!

The game room takes you back to the past, when after a long, persistent resistance the Alba

Regia broke under the unstoppable Turkish army’s overpower. The officers who have survived

the slaughter are taken hostage into Captain Ferenc Wathay’s Parlor, until they get information about their punishment. Until this point everything happens as it did in the past- Ferenc Wathay the Végvár warrior, painter and songwriter was for a while the vice-captain of Székesfehérvár after in 1602 for a while the city was recovered from Turkish rule. But when Fehérvár castle fell together with his fellow officers, he was put in a difficult situation… At this point the players can rewrite history. Wathay got injured more than 400 years ago and got captured by the Turkish army, but here, at Hiemer House’s cold basement the adventurers are given 60 minutes to get out of the capture. Luckily the captain left some hidden notes which can help the players rewrite the history. What item, hidden sign or detail will be helping them? What is the message, that if they find out would help them qualify? A painting on the wall? A chest on the floor? A candle perhaps? If every puzzle peace is found than you will find out what was Wathay’s secret…

Game information:

Maximum 5 people, 1 hour is given, we don’t close the players up.

Price:

8000Ft/team

Prior registration is needed.

Registration:

Tourinform office

Székesfehérvár Oskola street 2-4

22/537 261

szabaduloszoba@szekesfehervar.hu

Important notes:

Before your appointment get to the office 15 minutes in advance.

During the game remember to:

The tools in the room can be used to solve the game. The tools brought inside from the outside are prohibited to use. (flashlight, knife etc.)

Harmful things brought inside is prohibited.

Under 14 players can only take part with an 18  year or older adult.

Can’t go in there after alcohol consumption or drug usage.

Smoking and fire in the building is prohibited.

Damage to the equipment and decorations in the playing area goes with a financial compensation obligation.

There are safety cameras in the playing area.

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