We are at the venue of the next Hungarian dog show in our photo series presenting the world of exhibitions.We have arrived in the south-eastern part of the Great Plain, to Póstelek, to an enchanted castle park, which has been in a deep sleep for many, many decades.
Among the large trees, shrubs and rose bushes of the once fabulous garden, a proud ruin stands before us, which was once a castle…
…once a beautiful castle, with its wooded park and wonderful garden, presenting a breathtaking view. The castle was built between 1906 and 1909 commissioned by Count Frigyes Széchényi and his wife, based on the designs of Vilmos Siedek. The 72-room, neo-Baroque castle was given as a wedding gift to Countess Krisztina Széchényi Antalné Countess Weickheim from her parents. After the construction of the castle, famous foreign garden designer artists dreamed up and created the impressive park around the castle, including the French and English gardens. The characteristic trees of the former park were ash and oak, as well as conifers. The park, covering 1.5 hectares, was enriched with a wonderful French-Baroque rose garden, which contained 40,000 rose bushes of 600 rose varieties. The picturesque rose garden was bordered with boxwood shrubs modeled on English style, marking the boundaries of the garden. Behind the castle, a spectacular boating lake with water lilies was created, and a swimming pool was also built.
Between 1920 and 1930, the park and garden experienced their heyday, its diverse flora offering a captivating sight that delighted both the eye and the soul.
Everything ended in 1944, when the owners were forced to flee their home, leaving the castle and its beautiful park and environment as easy prey. Unfortunately, locals dismantled the building, and its condition steadily deteriorated.
The castle is a unique sight, even in its current ruined state. The long-term goals of the city of Békéscsaba include reconstruction, which they intend to carry out in multiple phases through a tender.
The castle garden this year awakened renewed from its decades-long sleep, and its reconstruction began with funding won in a competition. In recent months, the dried-up lakebed has been restored, a boating lake has been created, and a 1 km long promenade and footpath have been established and landscaped. Nearly 1200 deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs have been planted in the park area, trying to recreate the original historic garden from the 1930s.
On the capricious first Sunday of April, in this beautiful natural environment, the renewed castle park hosted the National CAC dog show. The Békéscsaba Youth and Sport Dog Association welcomed exhibitors and guests with open gates from 7 a.m. The weather lived up to its reputation, being as fickle as April itself. The climate here is completely different from that experienced in other regions. The humidity is so high it feels like walking in a forest located 200 meters above sea level. The wooded area is surrounded by flowing waters, and the mist rising from them traps the moisture produced by the trees, explaining this phenomenon.
“The Castle Park served as an excellent venue for the exhibition as it is also a favorite excursion spot for locals. The Park Forest’s features created a family atmosphere that benefited both exhibitors and visitors. The organizers entertained spectators, especially children, with various dog shows, making the CAC exhibition held for the 3rd time even more colorful in the Póstelek Castle park, located between Békéscsaba, Gyula and Gerla.” – we learn from Krisztina Bagi, Junior and Show handler.
Thanks to the Békéscsaba Youth and Sport Dog Association’s dog school – as Krisztina already mentioned – exhibitors and visitors could watch diverse and interesting dog shows. They admired the dogs’ athletic abilities in the agility show, the dog dancing presentation, and the dog dances with introductions (where the dog must demonstrate the understanding and knowledge of the taught commands), as well as the exciting but also dangerous world of working dogs represented by the protection and guard dog performance, all promising interesting and spectacular programs.
Photos from the exhibition:
Every exhibition is a great experience for Krisztina, who tells us more about it:
“The early spring weather favored holding the exhibition outdoors, the somewhat cloudy morning brought pleasant weather which fortunately lasted until the end of the exhibition.
During the day, 461 dogs were judged in 8 judging rings. We entered 3 dogs, two Cane Corsos and one Beagle.
The Beagle breed judging took place earlier, where Absolutely Spotless Faworyta “Titi” debuted in the young class. Titi had already appeared several times in the baby class last year, with good results. It was no different in Póstelek: She received a very nice descriptive evaluation, excellent 1st, HPJ title from a competition of 2, thus starting the Hungaria Junior Champion title.
There was still plenty of time until the Corsos judging, so meanwhile we watched the judging of Mr. István Orcsik in ring 3. After about 40-50 dogs, it was our time. This was the second exhibition of Konnor (Konnor Corso Di Munteanu) and Nara (Nara Sangue Magnifica) after the Salgótarján CAC. I was very proud of them, they behaved professionally in the ring! This is when all the training before the shows becomes visible!
Konnor received excellent 2nd place in the young class at 10.5 months from a competition of 3, while Nara became a very promising 2nd in the puppy class at 6 months.
Hereby I would also like to thank Vilmos Kardos and István Orcsik (SRB) for their work, and last but not least the trust of the owners! Thank you for believing in my work!”
Krisztina Bagi belongs to the future dog-loving generation, a dedicated Junior and Show handler. She has lived among dogs since she was a child and her love for dogs has driven her towards handling. Her own Hovawart breed dog is also the winner of numerous awards. She is successful in the Junior handlers’ competition. Her main goal is to become a professional Show Handler. We wish her much success for the future! Krisztina Bagi Junior and Show handler website available>>.
We sincerely thank Krisztina for the interesting report and the beautiful photos, through which we could once again glimpse the “Colorful and Special World of Exhibitions” from a slightly different perspective.
Congratulations to all exhibitors, and especially to the winners for their great achievements at the exhibition!
If you are a dog exhibitor or interested in the world of dog shows, I recommend the author’s official website, where the dog show calendars of recent years, the official 2020 MEOESZ dog show calendar, and all 2020 MEOESZ dog show recommendations in Hungarian and English will be available in the usual format!
Visit the official website of Ildikó Vámosi, dog article writer and author:
Http://ildikovamosi.hu/
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