The main attraction of the Bocskai Museum, the Treasury of crown jewelry, “moves” to Forum for a week. Although world cities such as Shanghai or Paris have been hosting museum exhibitions for 20 years, large and luxury stores also show some exhibitions, a similar initiative is very rare in Hungary. That is why the Bocskai Museum in Hajdúszoboszló and the Debrecen Forum Shopping Center took this initiative, which encourages store shoppers to consume the museum experience like other goods! The exhibition, which is decorated with 500 original gems and belongings of Prince István Bocskai, is an experience in itself, but this is accompanied by guided tours, museum pedagogical sessions, and traditional presentations until January 22, the day of Hungarian culture.
Historical relic and adventurous time travel
The forum visitors to Debrecen will be able to watch an unusual exhibition from January 16th. The exhibition of the only victorious Hungarian freedom struggle, the exhibition of Prince István Bocskai, comes from the museum to the mall. The Bocskai Museum in Hajdúszoboszló also evokes the glorious era of Hungarian history through beautiful art treasures. One of the museum slogans encourages us to discover this: “See the beauty, see the value!”
The Bocskai Crown is not only a fabulous piece of jewelry but also a symbol of power, tyranny, and cohesiveness. It is also a real mystical object that still preserves many secrets. We do not know who was originally made for. For a long time, they thought Bocskai had only accepted it as a gift, but it has recently been proven to have been crowned with him. Emperor Habsburg was so afraid of the “power” of the crown that it was taken to Vienna after Bocskai’s death. The original crown has been preserved there ever since, and despite the fact that several dreams wanted to be acquired, the Austrians have not given it out of their hands for 400 years. Only the Bocskai Museum in Hajdúszoboszló received permission to make a noble and authentic copy of it, where 20 goldsmiths worked for 2 years. For the museum, this was important because it considered the memory of the head of the Hajdú to Szoboszló as a mission.
“The Bocskai Museum’s princely treasury opened in Hajdúszoboszló for a year and a half, and since then its attendance has set records. Thousands of distant places visit thousands. It is not by chance that it presents treasures not only by Hajdúszoboszló but also in Hajdú-Bihar county and the whole country. That’s why we thought we would introduce it to other cities. The first of these is Debrecen, where we were looking for the region’s busiest mall, Forum. The mall immediately supported the idea, so an excellent collaboration started that could even continue later on”
– said Dr. László Horváth, director of the Bocskai Museum in Hajdúszoboszló.
The museum experience is guaranteed not only by the exhibition of treasures but also by playful museum pedagogical sessions and traditional demonstrations at the mall. So if you enter the forum between January 16th and 22nd, you can also take part in an adventurous time travel: try to wear the Hajdú, take their weapons, and even personally meet them (with the traditional preservation of them)!
It is worth visiting the museum after the Forum exhibition!
There are 7 exhibitions in 3 buildings in Hajdúszoboszló’s “Museum Quarter”. In addition to the princely treasury, the Bocskai Museum also has interactive local history and ethnographic exhibitions. The International Modern Gallery features original Picasso and Chagall, and the Retro Exhibition presents the lifestyle of the ’70s and 80s, including a Trabant simulator.
Detailed program:
The Bocskai Prince’s Treasury Exhibition will be on display from 16 to 22 January 2023 at the Debrecen Forum -1 level, at the opening hours of the mall from 9 am to 8 pm and from 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday. Viewing the exhibition is free.
The exhibition’s Facebook event.
Guides: Continuous.
Museum pedagogical activities: for school groups at a pre-arranged time.
Traditional presentations: Museum traditionalists hold a “Hajdú patrol”, that is, a flashmob (musical, interactive, educational march) that invites people to travel in time. Beginning of patrols:
Wednesday, January 18: 5:30 pm
Friday, January 20th: 5:30 pm
Sunday, January 22nd: 13.00
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