15th EUROPEAN REHABILITATION AND CULTURAL WEEK OF THE DEAFBLINDS (ERCW) 2014
VISEGRÁD, HUNGARY, 25th – 31st AUGUST 2014
First announcement:
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the 15th European Rehabilitation and Cultural Week of the Deafblinds (ERCW) 2014.
The ERCW 2014 is going to take place in Visegrád, Hungary from 25th to 31st of August, 2014 hosted by the Hungarian Deafblind Association celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Visegrád
Visegrád is a small town with about 1600 inhabitants situated 43 kilometers north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube River in the picturesque area of Danube Bend. Visegrád is famous for the remains of the Early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the medieval citadel.
You can read more about the town:
Venue
Hotel Visegrád
As the venue of ERCW 2014 located in the center of Visegrád. The hotel has single rooms, double rooms, triple rooms and family rooms. Rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with private bathroom, hair-dryer, cable TV, telephone, free wireless internet connection, in-room safe and minibar, as well as have balcony, offering a beautiful view either to the Visegrád Citadel or to the Danube River.
The hotel has Sirály Restaurant, Corvin Bar, spa facilities, internet corner and free wireless internet as well as bowling, table soccer and darts. The spa facilities including saunas, in-door pool, jacuzzi and open-air pool in the garden with a terrace are free of charge. Solarium and massage are available for a fee.
Hotel Visegrád contact details:
Address: 2025 Visegrád, Rév utca 15.
Phone: +36 26 397 034
Fax: +36 26 397 597
E-mail: info@hotelvisegrad.hu
Web (English): www.hotelvisegrad.hu/en/
Transport:
Visegrád can be accessed easily by road from Budapest. The Hotel Visegrád provides bus transfers between the hotel and the airport or railway stations in Budapest. The price of the transfers is included in the participation fee.
Programs:
Back to the renaissance! This is the motto of the ERCW 2014 in Hungary. In the atmosphere of the historical places you can touch the past.
Here you can read some information about the programs and places. The preliminary program will be sent in the Second announcement in February 2014.
We reserve the right to change.
1. EDBU celebration
The European Deafblind Union (EDBU) was founded in Denmark in October 2003, it means EDBU celebrates 10th anniversary in 2013. Unfortunately there was no occasion to celebrate this anniversary this year, therefore the Executive Committee of EDBU has decided to make celebration at the ERCW in Hungary in 2014.
Beside the 10th anniversary, the EDBU we also can celebrate the 15th anniversary of the EDBU Interim Board established in Finland in September 1999.
In occasion of the double anniversary we organize a worthy ceremony with the participants at the ERCW 2014. We would appreciate if some of you make short performances in any genre individually or in group. if you are pleased to make a performance, please find the Performance Registration in the attachments.
2. Royal Palace and Citadel in Visegrád
The first royal palace was built when Charles Robert and his court moved to Visegrád in 1323. More than one hundred years later King Matthias had the residence extended and rebuilt for himself and his Aragonese wife Beatrix and summoned Italian, or artists trained in Italy, to Visegrád, which thereby became an artistic and cultural center of the Early Renaissance in Hungary. During the Turkish wars the complex fell into decay and later into oblivion; what was not buried by the sliding masses of earth was used as a quarry.The discovery of the legendary palace is credited to János Schulek, son of the famous architect Frigyes Schulek, who led the excavations of the site in 1934.
Today, the Royal Palace is the home of the Royal Matthias Museum.
The impressive citadel is perched on top of the dramatic Castle Hill. Visegrád was once the royal centre of Hungary and the citadel, completed in 1259, was the repository for the country’s crown jewels. until 1440 when they were impishly stolen by Elizabeth of Luxembourg, with the help of her lady-in-waiting. The crown was returned to the citadel in 1464 until the Turkish invaded. The Habsburgs came along in 1702 and blew the citadel up to prevent its use by Hungarian independence fighters as a base. Its remains were buried until the 1930s when archaeologists, following descriptions in literary sources, uncovered the ruins.
There’s a small pictorial exhibit in the residential rooms on the west side of the citadel and two smaller displays near the east gate and the nearby Royal Palace and Solomon’s Tower are worth exploring. However, the real highlight is just walking along the ramparts of this eyrie, admiring the views of the Börzsöny Hills and the Danube.
3. Knights’ Tournament and Royal Feast
Knights’ Tournament is a medieval programme performed by the Saint George Knightly Order in the open air theatre of the Lower Castle in Visegrád.
Guests are welcomed by fanfare on arrival to the tournament. An introduction is told to the visitors about the history of the town and the castle, while visiting the Solomon’s Tower.
The roof terrace of the tower provides an excellent view of the Danube Bend, welcome drinks are served here.
The performance takes place on the tournament field located next to the tower. A king and a queen are selected from the guests, they are dressed in robes and crowned by the knights. On the call of the king, the knights march in and show their targeting and fighting skills with medieval weapons to the royal couple and their guests. The realistic face-to-face battles recall the courage and spirit of the medieval knights in an exciting way with a bit of humour. Our open-air performances feature the royal falconer.
At the end of the show, guests have the opporunity to try some of the weapons with the help of the knights.
The tournament is followed by a royal feast in Renaissance Restaurant, guests march (torch-light in dark) to the restaurant (200 meters) led by drummers.
During Royal Feast the pre-set menu is served in platters. Unlimited consumption of red- and whitewine as well as soft drinks is always an essential part of the feast.
4. Court of Crafts in the Palace House
Palace House as a brand new attraction in Visegrád was opened in April 2013 near the Royal Palace.
The courtyard of the building fearures presentation of medieval crafts. Professional masters work in the shops showing the crafts in practice, inviting the guests to participate. Workshops on the courtyard include stonemasonry, smithery, pottery and paper making.
The restaurant of Palace House with unique interior and open kitchen offers great dishes for dinner.
5. Picnic lunch on the Telgárthy Meadow
Nice and easy route by foot leads from the Hotel Visegrádto the Telgarthy Meadow, by walking down on the side of the Apátkúti Brook gurgling next to the King Matthias Street. it used to be called the Mill Brook, because in the 18-19th century its energy was used for the local mill and sawmill. Following the forestry path we can reach the masonry dam and the small artificial pond. The next sight of the valley is the Devil’s Mill Waterfall, where we can admire the brook water’s forming energy. At the Magda Spring we can see a steep yellow loess wall, deposited on a purplish-greyish rock. This proofs that some time earlier the Danube was also flowing here, and in one of its quiet bays it was depositing its debris. After the Devil’s Mill Waterfall and the Magda Spring we can reach the park and the Botanical Garden located on the Telgárthy Meadow.
Tables set for lunch will be waiting for us in the nature of the meadow.
6. Boat trip in the Danube Bend
If you take a look at a map of Hungary you see that between Esztergom and Szentendre the river turns sharply south in the direction of Budapest. The wooded hills of Pilis, Visegrád and Börzsöny together, with the meandering Danube create a wonderful landscape that you can admire during the boat trip.
7. Visiting in the town of Esztergom
Esztergom, the seat of the Hungarian Catholic Church, is one of the oldest towns in Hungary. The Basilica of Esztergom, a masterpiece of Classicism, is the third largest church in Europe. Established around 972, Esztergom has always played an important role in Hungary’s history. It was the birth and coronation place of the first Hungarian king, St. Stephen, as well as the capital of Hungary until the 13th century. After the Mongolian invasion, King Bela IV moved the Royal Seat to Visegrád and later to Buda, giving his palace to the archbishop and making Esztergom a religious center.
The majority of the historic sites and the city’s architectural heritage are of a religious nature, like the Primate’s Palace, the Franciscan monastery, and several chapels and churches. Remains of the former royal palace, Turkish, Classicist and Baroque buildings, as well as the Basilica, attract many visitors. One of the newest additions to Esztergom is the Mária Valéria Bridge, which connects the city with Slovakia.
The Basilica was built on the site of the first cathedral in the country, where the first Hungarian King St. Stephen was crowned in 1000. Rebuilt during the 1800s in Neo-Classicist style, this is the largest church in Hungary.
The reconstructed remains of the former royal palace founded by Prince Géza, father of King St. Stephen, are in the neighborhood of the Basilica. Today, the building is home to a museum.
Prímás Pince, Primate Cellar, located directly under the hill of the Basilica, shows the tradition of Hungarian wines and wine culture. The Tunnel of Wine Regions of the Carpathian Basin introduces the most important wine regions in the almost 90 metre large tunnel that is an impressive architectural environment. The Wine-growing Exhibition guides the visitors through the process of wine-growing, wine production and consumption.
You can read about Esztergom: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esztergom
8. Visiting in the town of Szentendre
Szentendre, with its colorful houses, narrow alleys, and museums, is the most frequently visited tourist center along the Danube River. This Mediterranean-like town is the home of Serbs who fled from the Turks and settled here in the 14th-17th centuries. Seven church towers rise high in the sky. Four of them belong to the Orthodox Church. The 13th-14th century Roman Catholic Parish Church stands on the Castle Hill, a sun-dial on its wall tells the time. For the tourist who is looking for nostalgia, there are: shops, restaurants, trade signs, the ancient buildings of the Main Square, and the house ornaments.
Open Air Museum of Szentendre presents folk architecture, interior decoration, farming and way of life in the Hungarian language area from the 2nd half of the 18th century to the 1st half of the 20th century, through original and authentic objects, relocated houses arranged in old settlement patters. The more and more elaborate settlement plan appropriates the relocation of more than 400 edifices into the museum, arranged into village-like regional units on the basis of ethnographical considerations. Within the units buildings are fitted into the traditional system of peasant households, supplemented by sacred, communal and outbuildings which used to be integral parts of traditional villages. Dwellings and farm-buildings represent the typical houses and outbuildings having evolved historically in each region.
You can read about Szentendre: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szentendre
9. Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation program is still under organization, we will give information in the Second announcement. However, if you have any topics related to rehabilitation you are interested in, do not hesitate to write us to the email address ercw2014@gmail.com.
10. Social and leisure activities
Bingo! Try your fortune with the game. Balls with numbers are randomly drawn and you just have to mark the drawn numbers on your Bingo card. If you are lucky and all numbers on your Bingo card are drawn, just call out ‘Bingo!’ and you take the prize. Good luck!
Teams formed by participants compete against one another for the prize in series of funny games.
You can relax and enjoy the hotel services like spa, bowling, table soccer and darts in the Hotel Visegrád.
There are several other sights and attractions in Visegrád like the Roman Catholic Church built in baroque style in the 18th century, the Pálinka Museum with pálinka testing tour and exciting tobogganing on the Castle Hill.
A couple minutes by ferry to the town of Nagymaros situated on the opposite bank of the Danube River in the foot of Börzsöny Hills offers the best panorama of Visegrád. In this town you can see the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Parish Church built in the 14th century in the Main Square. Outside you can admire its octagonal 15th century late-gothic tower with the string course, and the stone-framed lancet windows with sill moulding. You can get inside through a gothic archivolt under the tower. Above the main entrance you can read the year “1509” in the arch stone of the gate. The Gothic Sanctuary with buttresses is framed by three sides of octagon. The market in the Main Square offers home-made products. On the sandy beach you can walk in the waves of the river or you can swimm if you are a well-swimmer.
Registration, Participation fee and Payment
If you are interested in the ERCW 2014 Visegrád, Hungary, please complete the Registration Form, the Accommodation Form and the Travel Plan attached.
You can send the completed forms
– by email to: ercw2014@gmail.com
– by post to: Siketvakok Országos Egyesülete, Múzeum krt. 3, Budapest, 1053 Hungary
The participation fee includes accommodation, full board, bus transfers and programs.
The participation fee given in HUF as follows (sums in euro are given for information only):
– single room: 145 000 HUF per person (one hundred and forty-five thousands forints, approx. 483.33 euros)
– double room: 120 000 HUF per person (one hundred and twenty thousands forints approx. 400.00 euros)
– triple room: 110 000 HUF per person (one hundred and ten thousands forints approx. 366.67 euros) Note: the family rooms are available for 4 persons, too, however, the participation fee is the same as given for triple room, that’s 110 000 HUF per person.
Participation fee should be paid for each participant including interpreter-guide/assistant, family member/friend.
Please pay the participation fee in HUF by bank transfer only. Payer has to bear any costs of bank transfers. Your registration is valid when the participation fee is fully paid.
Please make payment by bank transfer to the following account:
Account Holder: Siketvakok Országos Egyesülete
Address of Account Holder: H-1146 Budapest, Ajtósi Dürer sor 39, Hungary
Name of Bank: K and H Bank Zrt.
Address of Bank: H-1051 Budapest, Vigadó tér 1, Hungary
IBAN: HU52 1040 9015 9011 7325 0000 0000
SWIFT: OKHBHUHB
Account Number: 10409015-90117325-00000000
Make sure to give the mention ‘ERCW2014’ and participant name(s) in the bank transfer details.
The payment must be “free of any charges for the payee”, i.e. all bank charges have to be borne by the sender. Please quote the IBAN number and SWIFT Address in your instructions for Bank Transfer.
A written confirmation of your registration will be sent to you after we have received your payment in full.
The deadline for registration and payment in full is 31 March 2014.
Registration after the deadline is allowed to accept depending on the free capacity.
Registration of the participants will be accepted in the order pf payment of the participation fee.
Cancellation
Cancellation should be annonced in writing and signatured, sent by post or scanned in e-mail to the addresses given above.
The paid participation fee will be refunded totally in 30 days only if cancellation is made before 31st of May, 2014. After this date we cannot guarantee refunding the participation fee.
In the case if the host, the Hungarian Deafblind Association has to cancel the ERCW 2014, the paid participation fee will be refunded in 30 days after the cancellation is announced.
However, we cannot undertake to refund the travel or other costs in case of cancellation announced in any reason.
Other information
Hungary is the member country of the European Union. If you need visa for participation in the ERCW 2014 in Hungary, please request us the necessary documents in time.
If you need more information or if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact by e-mail ercw2014@gmail.com.
If you know any deafblind people who might be interested in ERCW 2014, please forward this message to them.
We are looking forward to hosting you in Hungary in 2014.
Yours sincerely,
Budapest, 31st of October, 2013
Tamás Gangl
president
Siketvakok Orszagos Egyesulete
(Hungarian Deafblind Association)
Pronounciation of some Hungarian words
Apátkúti [‘ɒpa:tku:ti] Brook
Börzsöny [‘børʒøɲ] Hills
Esztergom [‘ɛstɛrɡom], town
Nagymaros [‘nɒɟmɒroʃ], town
Pálinka [‘pa:linkɒ], Hungarian spirit
Pilis [‘piliʃ] Hills
Prímás Pince [‘pri:ma:ʃ pintsɛ], wine cellar
Sirály [‘ʃira:j] ( ‘gull’) Restaurant
Szentendre [‘sɛntɛndrɛ], town
Telgarthy [‘tɛlga:rti] Meadow
Visegrád [‘viʃɛɡra:d], town and name of the surrounding hills