Country Archive
Old world-style dining in Budapest
Date: 01/22/2007Amid the exploding gastronomic scene in one of Europe’s most dynamic and beautiful cities, the 112-year-old Gundel restaurant still stands as Budapest’s most famous, classically elegant address for good food.
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Restoring Hungary's noble heritage-renaissance in the land of a thousand castles
Date: 12/31/2004
Hédervár's aristocratic past is evident throughout the village, although the castle village life once revolved around now functions as a four-star hotel, and the family who gave the village its name back in the 12th century has no remaining members. The walls that once enclosed the Hédervár castle's grounds still stand, topped with cement chalices that symbolized the family's nobility. In this town of fewer than 1,100 people, many houses look run-down next to the castle, which has been elegantly renovated, including the Baroque chapel, the brick-walled wine cellar, and the romantic courtyard dominated by an enormous linden tree. The castle is inextricably linked to the village, its history, and its residents. "Nearly everyone here worked for the Héderváry family," says Ditrói Lipótné, who lives near the castle. "All these houses you see here were part of the castle's property at one time."
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