The stately home and park in Fehérvárcsurgó, 50 miles west of Budapest, were originally Baroque, overlaid in the 19th century with an eclectic mix of naturalistic landscape style and a touch of Art Nouveau. Nationalized after World War II, the historic house was at risk of collapse by the late 1980s and the park had become a jungle. This Gardens Trust online talk will explore how Georges Károlyi – great-great-grandson of Fehérvárcsurgó’s creator – and his Paris-born wife Angelica have restored the former family estate, turning it into a European cultural meeting center, and have started to restore the park, which since 2005 has hosted an annual European Art of Garden exhibition.
Angelica Karolyi was born in Paris in 1947 to German parents, both painters. She studied political science at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and has a master’s degree in history from the Sorbonne. In 1971 in Paris, she married Georges Károlyi, who was originally from Hungary. They had 4 children and still have a home in Paris but live most of the time in Hungary. In 1994 they created the Joseph Károlyi Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to promote relations between Hungary and the rest of Europe, and to ensure the restoration of her husband’s former family property in Fehérvárcsurgó, Hungary. Under the auspices of the Foundation, Angelica organizes numerous international conferences on political science and history, as well as exhibitions and concerts, including an annual string quartet festival.
This is the first in a series of four talks, organized by the Historic Gardens Foundation in partnership with The Gardens Trust, exploring international examples of Unforgettable Gardens, seen through the eyes of their owners, managers, creators and restorers.
The Historic Gardens Foundation is an international not-for-profit organization, launched in 1995, which works to bring together lovers of historic parks and gardens across the world. Its magazine Historic Gardens Review provides a portal for the views of both enthusiasts and professionals and is a strong voice in championing the cause of our global garden heritage.
You may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 4 sessions at a cost of £16 via the link here. (Subscribers to Historic Gardens Review will be able to purchase a series ticket for £8.) Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.
