ABOVE:
THE TRADITIONS
OF THE CSKOS COWBOY,
AND HUNDARIAN GREY
CATTLE, CAN BE OBSERVED
AT THE WILDLIFE PARK
PREVIOUS PAGE:
THE
PUSZTA ÖTÖS DISPLAY OF
HORSEMANSHIP AT THE
MÁTA STUD FARM
FEATURE
DEBRECEN
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
WIZZ MAGAZINE
27
steppelands that stretch east as far as the eye can
see, then on to Transylvania. It’s the harsh, windswept
domain of
csikós
(
cowboys) and
gulyás
(
herdsmen),
of isolated farmsteads dotting a long, long horizon,
and an age-old way of life eked out in the face of
unrelenting hardship. It was an image that stirred
19
th-century literary giants such as novelist Mór Jókai
and national poet Sándor Petöfi, whose much-loved
work,
Az Alföld
(“
There where I’m from, there is my
world…”) is named after the Great Plain on which he
was born. The vision of a lone herdsman stirring his
cauldron of fiery goulash, the national dish that bears
his name, is a vision of Hungary itself.
This is what brings the bulk of domestic visitors
to the Hortobágy, along with the chance to observe
long-forgotten local animal breeds at close range
–
domestic animals have grazed here for more than
two millennia. There are long-horned, silvery-white
Hungarian Grey cattle and sturdy
raczka
sheep,
sporting impressive spiralling horns. Curly-fleeced
mangalica pigs, whose meat has been enjoying a
recent revival in Spain, also thrive here, and the
endangered Przewalski’s horse has been successfully
reintroduced. They can be observed in fenced-in
reservations around the wildlife park – also home to
wild cats, wolves, ospreys and jackals.
Tourists with a less urgent need to spot Great
Bustards or Fire-bellied toads might prefer the
demonstrations of herdsmen’s traditions and
horsemanship organised by the Máta Stud Farm. As the
horse-drawn carriages that take visitors to the outdoor
display area are setting off, an expert rider, standing
astride two horses and controlling another three in
front of him, dashes across to the arena in a five-beast,
one-man display of supreme equestrian skill. It’s
thought that the so-called Puszta Ötös (‘Puszta
Five-in-Hand’) may have been inspired by
Galopp in der
Manege
,
a painting by the influential pre-war Viennese
equestrian artist Ludwig Koch. Life imitated art, as
ambitious Hungarian horsemen soon mastered the
challenge. If the origins of the Puszta Ötös are unclear,
the horsemen’s expertise is unmistakable.
Hortobágy is the name of both the national park and
the village it surrounds. A short walk from the station
in Hortobágy is the visitor’s centre, along with various
restaurants, museums and historic attractions. An old
coaching house has been converted into the Shepherd’s
Museum, with displays on the herders’ customs and
distinctive costumes – the boots, distinctive blue shirts
and wide-brimmed black hats, fashioned to last a
lifetime (they still cost some €150 today). By contrast,
the humble
kondás
(
swineherd) wore the most simple
of shirts and shoes. The nearby Craft Museum explains
how these clothes, tools and other products were made
–
and in a row of workshops behind the Visitor’s Centre,
you can see contemporary craftsmen in action and buy
their wares, which range from leather work, toys and
textiles to traditional embroidered felt cloaks.
“
Visitors can observe
long-forgotten breeds
on the reservation”
