We are visiting the location of the next Hungarian exhibition in our photo series presenting the world of exhibitions. Once again, we travel to a different region, our journey passes through a different countryside than before. Before our eyes, the seemingly endless plain emerges, broken irregularly by neatly arranged grain fields, sometimes golden yellow embraced by red poppies, sometimes soothingly green, bringing some color to the monotonous landscape with its horizon-reaching, road-ploughed patterns.
We arrive in the southeastern part of the Great Plain, where fields of sunflowers shining yellow enchant us with their beauty, and cattle graze peacefully on the green meadows along our way.
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Giant villages and farmsteads unfold before our eyes, the sight of lonely standing well sweep pumps in the distance… a world unknown and interesting to us. The homestead world of the southern Great Plain, an island of silence and tranquility. The beauty of the endless plain and the undisturbed nature is breathtaking… a scene worthy of painters' canvases.
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We head to the southeastern region of our small homeland, to a popular resort town which, together with the surrounding forests and protected natural areas, forms a small green island in the Great Plain wilderness, thus creating the green zone of the city and its surroundings.
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We arrive in Gyula, the "city of waters," whose character is greatly defined by its natural waters, the White Körös separating Gyula and Gyulavári, the Living Water Canal traversing three settlements, and the lake chain surrounding the city. The riverbanks provide an excellent setting for those attracted to the undisturbed, peaceful nature outside the city.
Our city sightseeing walk begins here.
Gyula is called the "City of Waters" for a reason, as the small town is crossed by charming canals in many places where boating and water biking are possible. In recent years, the city has embarked on major developments to symbolize the "City of Waters", with a series of fountains spraying water jets on the Old Körös, and fountains and water features were also built in the city square, recently enhanced with light and sound shows to make the evening illumination even more spectacular.
The pulsating heart of the city, Kossuth Square, with its new face has become a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Thanks to the events held in the busy square, it has grown into a new center. The special atmosphere of the downtown is completed by the World Clock, the beauty of the squares, the greenery of the parks, and the splashing of water, serving as a unique backdrop for the summer evening hustle and bustle.
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One of the city's main attractions is the Gothic-style Gyula Castle built in the 15th century, a unique intact flatland brick castle in Central Europe. Nowadays, the Castle houses the Castle Museum, which presents the medieval world of the Castle with the help of 24 exhibition rooms. The Castle also hosts the Gyula Castle Theatre, which offers varied programs throughout the summer for visitors to the city. Additionally, the Castle Garden is the venue for many cultural and outdoor events.
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The Gyula Castle Bath, containing 19 medicinal water pools, is located in the 8.5-hectare nature reserve area of the Almássy Mansion. In the Castle Bath, every age group can find its entertainment. The beach bath can provide an experience for the whole family, while the medicinal bath section caters to the older generations seeking healing. The European-standard medicinal bath has thermal wells producing 72°C medicinal water that is excellently suitable for treating musculoskeletal diseases and for rehabilitative medical treatment after accidents.
Among the sights of Gyula city, we must mention the Baroque Almássy Mansion located next to the Castle and the Castle Bath. The mansion was initiated by János Harruckern in the 1720s, directly neighboring the Gyula Castle Bath. After two fires, it was rebuilt in the Copf style in 1801, and from 1888 to 1944, the Almássy family lived in the building. After nationalization, the mansion was used by various public institutions, serving as a girls' boarding school, a vocational training institute, and a nursery.
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Currently, the building stands empty, and only certain parts are accessible to visitors. Many celebrities have visited the mansion. In 1849, János Damjanich was lodged there as a prisoner, and from the 1850s, Ferenc Erkel, the son of the estate's steward, often stayed at the mansion. According to oral tradition, under one of the trees in the mansion park, specifically under the maple now called the Erkel Tree located in the Castle Bath park, he composed his operas.
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The city's famous native son is Ferenc Erkel, a Hungarian composer, conductor, pianist, and famous chess grandmaster, the composer of the Hungarian National Anthem and the creator of the national opera. His birthplace now functions as a museum, and his bronze bust can be found in front of the Centenary Confectionery, at Erkel Square.
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The Hundred-Year-Old Confectionery, the second oldest confectionery in our country, has been operating since 1840, with its 150-year-old, renovated Biedermeier furnishings evoking the atmosphere of the last century. An old confectionery workshop has been turned into a museum where we can view the products of period confectionery workshops. During our city sightseeing walk, it is worth stopping here to let the atmosphere of bygone times touch us.
Gyula is also one of the country’s most popular festival cities. For lovers of culture and those seeking relaxation, it offers a multitude of diverse programs such as the Gyula Days and the Frontier Evenings series, the Fire Brigade Band and Majorette Festival, the Frontier Pentecost, and the Dance Festival of All Hungarians.
The city also pays attention to beautifying and flowering public spaces and parks. As a result, in 2007, the city of Gyula achieved 1st place in the "2007 Flowers of Hungary" environmental beautification competition. Thus, Gyula represented Hungary in the 2008 European Flowers of Cities and Villages Competition, where it won a silver rating.
In 2013, in the city category, the honor was again given to the city of Gyula to represent Hungary in the 2014 European Flowers of Cities and Villages competition.
After this little city sightseeing walk, we arrive at the exact venue of the dog show, the Thermal Camping and Motel area, where the organizing Association, the Gyula Dog Club, welcomed exhibitors and visitors with open doors from 7:00 in the morning.
Thermal Camping lies in the resort area of Gyula, on a 3.2-hectare site surrounded by park and woodland, offering a quiet and friendly environment. It serves as an excellent venue for different large-scale events, and thus, by tradition, it also hosts dog shows.
Among other things, Kocsis Kinga, Junior and Show handler, also told us about this and her experiences at the show:
“This is the first – and presumably not the last – year we participated in the national show in Gyula.
The CAC show was hosted by the Gyula Thermal Camping and Motel, which provided a beautiful wooded and grassy area for exhibitors and their dogs. The weather was also appropriate; we caught very nice, sunny weather, although the long-haired dogs didn’t appreciate the good weather as much.
There was a lot of space for walking dogs, which I especially liked. Another very positive thing for me, and something I greatly respected the exhibitors for – I did not encounter a single uncovered dog waste, which is a big deal and should be kept in mind by exhibitors at every show.
378 dogs of 107 different breeds were entered in the show, judged in 8 rings. In our ring, Dr. Roberto Schill, an invited judge from Romania, gave very good and detailed descriptions of the dogs. The judging started on time, although unfortunately our breed was judged towards the end.
I was a bit excited, as the Gyula show was the first for my American Staffordshire Terrier, Casino Royale from Serendipity Staff (Francesco). There were 10 amstaffs present at this show, which would represent competition in other breeds, but for a well-known and widely kept breed like the amstaff, this number is rather small.
We competed in the open class with Francesco, who had an opponent 4 years older and much more experienced. We received a fair evaluation, and we finished the show with an excellent 2nd place, Res. CAC result.
The class-winning dog later achieved the title of breed winner and 2nd place in the breed group. Therefore, I believe he deservedly beat my dog. I was very happy with the results – but especially with the great evaluation – as it was our first show, and many more await us in the future, where I hope we will perform even better.
After our judging, I rushed on to ring number 4, where Sanja Momcilovic Bognic, a Serbian judge, was judging. In the comparison, I had to assist as a handler and lead a junior female dalmatian, Spotty Diamant Gina (Owned by: Kopa Zsuzsanna). We were both skillful, and as a result, Gina achieved Best of Breed! We all, together with the owner, were very happy about this! Gina later became 3rd placed in her breed group with Kata Baranyai! This made our joy even greater!
Meanwhile, my sister, Fanni Kocsis, was preparing for her very first junior handler competition. But even before this competition could start, she had a task to lead the border collie, Canyonland Forever’nd For Always alias Fay (Owned by Ingrid König, led by Anikó Kerékgyártó), into the comparison, with whom she also entered the junior handling. Fay and she achieved Best of Opposite Sex (BOS), meaning the most beautiful border collie of the opposite sex!
While waiting for the Best In Show, we spent the time together with dogs and friends, in a very good atmosphere. Meanwhile, I met many new people and dogs, having good and meaningful conversations with everyone.
Time passed quickly, and we reached the start of the Best In Show, which we were all eagerly awaiting. First, there was the child-dog pair competition, which was really interesting, as the children led their dogs very well for their age. Then came the competition of the first age group of Young Handlers, where five or six handlers aged between 7 and 14 demonstrated their skills. My sister, Fanni, also competed here with Fay, the border collie, and they placed 3rd! I was very proud of her, as this was her first time participating as a competitor at a dog show. We did not actively participate in the rest of the Best In Show, only as spectators, but we did not wait for the end. I can say that we ended the show with good feelings and nice results.”
Photos taken at the exhibition can be viewed:
The photographer of "Kutya Egy Dolog" was also present at the exhibition, and we picked some candid shots from his work:
Photos of the “Kutya Egy Dolog” Show can be viewed:
Kinga Kocsis belongs to the future generation of dog enthusiasts, a dedicated Junior and Show handler. She lived among dogs from early childhood, and her love for dogs steered her towards handling. Among her goals is to achieve success at dog shows with her own American Staffordshire Terrier breed dog. Her main goal is to become a professional Show Handler. We wish her much success in the future!
View Kinga Kocsis Junior and Show handler’s self-made website>>.
View Kinga’s dog's website, also made by herself>>.
Many thanks to Kinga for the interesting report and the beautiful photos, through which we could once again get a different glimpse into the “Colorful and Special World of Dog Shows”.
Congratulations to all exhibitors, and especially to the winners for their excellent results at the show!
If you are a dog exhibitor or are interested in the world of dog shows, I recommend the author’s official website, where the dog show calendars of recent years, the official MEOESZ dog show calendar for 2020, and all 2020 MEOESZ dog shows’ Hungarian and English brochures will be available in the usual format!
Find Ildikó Vámosi, dog article writer and author’s official website:
Http://ildikovamosi.hu/
🙂 Thank you if you honor me with your visit! 🙂
