Village from Western Transdanubia Photo

Photographer’s Note

Western Transdanubia

The buildings in the regional unit are from the Őrség (Vas County), the banks of the Rába, and from the fringes of Hetés and Göcsej (Zala County). They reflect 19th century peasant culture in the region.
After the Magyar conquest of Hungary the inhabitants of the area were settled here to guard the uninhabited strip of marches. This borderland society was later augmented by "castle-people" of mixed legal status from the royal fortresses. In the 13th-14th centuries, with the disintegration of the old defence system for the frontiers, and the abolition of the system of várispánság (large territory around a royal fort governed by an ispán) some of the frontier guards and castle-people became serfs. Others were ennobled in recognition of their services.
Harsh natural conditions, too, had their influence on the fate of, and the way of life developed by, people who had found home here. The undulating hilly land, mostly under forest, determined the pattern of settlements. On hilltop clearings "szers", clusters of buildings, 5-10 of which formed an administrative unit, came into being. On the flat banks of rivers and brooks, in the vicinity of marshy areas, villages arranged in streets evolved.

Belfry, Felsőszenterzsébet

The 114 Protestant and 13 Catholic inhabitants of a small village, Felsőszenterzsébet erected in 1778 the structure of carved pine logs, standing on oak sills and covered with shingles. The date can be read on the small openwork tin flag on the peak of the roof. The bell has come from nearby Métnekpuszta.
For the builders and their descendants the bell symbolised the cementing force that determined the rhythm of their life on holidays and weekdays alike. On Sundays and holidays it summoned the congregation for prayer. It tolled when somebody died in the village. They rang the bell during funerals and rang it when there was danger, when fire broke out. It told the time. The peals of dawn called people to work and they went to bed after the evening bell. Danger, grief, joy were all for the bell to announce as it does even today. Hamlets, which could not rise a church, constructed such or similar structures for a bell, no village could be left without.

Dwelling house, Baglad

The house, relocated from a small village behind the beyond in the marshy flatlands along the River Kerka, used to stand in a small square with a belfry in front of it, just as it does in the Museum.
The log house, topped by a wide, half-hipped roof resting on a ridge beam supported by scissors beams, was built for Péter Zakál of minor gentry extraction in the middle of the 19th century. The chimneyless kitchen was rid of smoke in the early 1930s. At that time Károly Varga, his wife Anna Zakál, and their six children occupied the house. They had a well-managed farm of 15 holds, and Károly Varga was elected mayor of the village.

(Source: skanzen.hu)

dareco, portmanndominic, snunney, robertosalguero, jjcordier, besnard, asajernigan, John_F_Kennedy, ChrisJ, siolaw, mursaloglu, evanrizo, xavshot, chrkont, Photo65Net, TopGeo, salvator, danos, paura, danyy, Tue, kermit350 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dareco (17024) 2008-04-17 1:48

I enjoy this series more than you'll ever know, and actually have been showing them to my sister as well. We are thinking we have to plan a trip to Hungary. TFS another really great picture.

snunney (34026) 2008-04-17 1:50

Hello George,
A beautiful capture of these lovely rural buildings that have been saved for posterity and enjoyment by future generations. Good point of view with the little stand of trees providing a pleasing balance to the main subjects. Superb colours and clarity.

portmanndominic (2388) 2008-04-17 1:53

hello Georges

Nice shot , smooth colors , but I see the spring is not open in Hungary .
very useful note
TFS
Dominic

robertosalguero (2759) 2008-04-17 2:00

Hello George,

The village seem like a pleasant place to visit. I find this type of architecture very appealing because of its style and simplicity. Excellent use of light and proper saturation of colours. The image is nicely composed. Thanks for sharing.

Roberto

gildasjan (23291) 2008-04-17 2:01

Bonjour George
Absolument magnifique ce cadrage avec une très belle pureté des couleurs et le ciel bleu met tout cela en accord.C'est beau.
Bravo et bonne journée.
Amicalement
Gildas

TGULUMSER (12410) 2008-04-17 2:06

Hello George,
A very lovely and clear village view. I admired the blue color of the sky,
Best regards,
Tulay

jjcordier (24068) 2008-04-17 2:14

George
Et encore une très belle photo, très lumineuse, qui nous ramène quelques dizaines d'années en arrière.
Amicalement
JJ

besnard (30084) 2008-04-17 2:25

Bonjour George
Un très beau cliché lumineux, net et bien cadré.
C'est du bon travail.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

asajernigan (13879) 2008-04-17 3:43

George,
Great photo of this interesting architecture! Your composition is fine balancing the buildings with the stand of trees on the left. The lighting and colors are fine with excellent sharpness and detail. The diagonal you have created with the road leads the eye through the shot nicely.
TFS,
Asa

John_F_Kennedy (30581) 2008-04-17 4:10

Very beautiful and nice colours. Very interesting architecture of your little church. Good composition and good idea.
Best wishes,
Achim

ChrisJ (69464) 2008-04-17 4:16

Hi George

A marvellous blue sky, with clean whites, & good colour & saturation. Excellent contrast & composition. Tfs!

mesutilgim (36232) 2008-04-17 4:44

Hi dear George,
Wonderfull capture with perfect pov and nice compo. Goos sharpness and very good info's.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

siolaw (25694) 2008-04-17 5:41

Hi George
A good off centered compo, well balanced by the leafless trees on the left. The air and weather seems so visibly clear! It has excellent exposure , color and sharpness level.
The person at the door is a bonus too!
Well done
Laurent

mursaloglu (5026) 2008-04-17 6:00

Hello George my friend
A really great compo with very useful human figures in background and stunning image of the church. Bravo ihsan

izmirli (2927) 2008-04-17 6:35

merhaba my friend george
wonderful interesting villace and daily life.excellent naturel colours.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

UnTrained (0) 2008-04-17 6:54

Szia George,
good warm light and good textures on that one. Especially the dark wood is well done. Fine composition with the trees and the street leading into the shot.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

evanrizo (456) 2008-04-17 7:14

Hi George, an other capture with the right view from you know to make them with artistic touch.
It has also superb clear sharp parts-details.
Congratulations
Evangelos

xavshot (61841) 2008-04-17 8:41

Bonsoir George
jolie lumière pour mettre en valeur cette architecture; Comme souvent dans ce type de photo, la présence du personnage est un plus car il permet de donner l'échelle. Bravo.
Xavier

jurek1951 (25724) 2008-04-17 11:12

Hi George,
An excellent shot of this maginficent house.Very nice work. Wonderful compositon and POV, great clarity of such a historic scene.
Georg

Photo65Net (43084) 2008-04-17 12:23

George,
Nice series from this village.
I like the exposure in this one, and your framing is balanced.
Regards,
JB.

chrkont (3621) 2008-04-17 12:59

Hi George
Ones again, excellent composition. Lovely group of trees at left and buildings at right. Good light and clarity to. I like the color and details of the wood at the first building's walls.
TFS - Regards
Christos

gneufeld (14995) 2008-04-17 19:39

Hi George,
This image is stunningly sharp and crisp with striking contrasts and very good colors. Well seen and TFS. Gerald

PixelTerror (85994) 2008-04-18 0:27

Hi George,
Again here a nice rural housing picture, the guy standing in the door adds the human element.
Have a nice day JY

salvator (18743) 2008-04-18 1:12

Hi George,
Very nicely composed with superb sharpness and details. The contrast of the blue and white look very nice.
Best regards. Salvator.

TopGeo (21385) 2008-04-18 3:27

Hi George! Unique and very beautiful the exhibits. That beautifully you photographed also good your description, a picture here that I liked and for the frame front in the door of man it gives good and interesting in the picture.
Best regards
Georgios

ifanik (20462) 2008-04-18 5:36

Hi My friend
This photo is very nice with beautiful colours and POV and amazing lighting
Very well done George
BEST REGARDS
Nick

danos (31610) 2008-04-18 7:44

Hello George,
nice shot with great perspective and POV of this picturesque village in Transdanubia. I like these traditional constructions the belfry and the dwelling house in the foreground.
I like the excellent details of the scene as the sharpness and the clarity.Informative and useful your note.

Have a nice weekend,Danos

jlbrthnn (36842) 2008-04-18 8:04

Hello George,
These wooden colors and this white frontage are very attracting. It is a superb image of traditional Hungary. Cheer.
Have a nice day.
Cordially
Joël

paura (37736) 2008-04-18 14:38

George,
The paste tones are great in this very beautiful composition. The place is really beautiful.

Regards

Paulo

danyy (67924) 2008-04-18 15:29

Bonjour George,
je préfère cette photo aux deux précedentes, plus typique, plus dépaysante. Tu avais de très bonnes conditions de lumières, on ne dirait jamais un début de printemps.
Les couleurs naturelles me plaisent beaucoup
regards
Daniel.

Tue (25608) 2008-04-18 16:42

Hi George,
The composition is spot-on, great position for the trees on the left hand side and the small buildings of the village partly behind them on the right. The vivid colours are very nice, also thanks to the fine light. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

COSTANTINO (22167) 2008-04-19 0:28

Hi GEORGE,
I enjoy this pretty photo with its simplicity
and its peaceful atmosphere.
A beautiful capture of this moment
Thanks for sharing
Costantino

Graal (57220) 2008-04-19 10:37

Jó napot George,
an interesting serie from the old scansen. Here unusual constructions, good informations. I like the saturation of colours and sharpness. Well done photo.
Gr., Aleksander

hay_kes (28554) 2008-04-20 0:25

Hi George,
Another great photo.Excellent colours, light and perspective.TFS.
Cheers,
Have a nice sunday.

hAyAti

kermit350 (8988) 2008-04-20 3:52

Hello George, of construction out of the commun run that these dwelling and this structure replacing the church in order to support a bell, the hard normal conditions, also, had their influence not only on the destiny but also by the beauty of these constructions, photographed well here in this overall picture, that the life between 114 Protestant inhabitants and 13 catholics should not always be simple, sincerely.......................Hello George, des construction hors du commun que ces habitation et de cette structure remplaçant l’église afin de soutenir une cloche, les conditions normales dures, aussi, ont eu leur influence pas seulement sur le destin mais aussi par la beauté de ces constructions, ici bien photographiée dans cette vue d’ensemble, cela ne doit pas toujours être simple la vie entre 114 habitants protestants et 13 catholiques, bien amicalement

pablominto (39884) 2008-04-22 0:08

Hello George,
A lovely rural scenery, captured with interesting elements!
The interesting tower built in timber attracts attention, well placed in the frame...
Great light and vivid colours, the gravel road makes a fine lead-in!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Greg1949 (8507) 2008-05-01 4:13

George, seeing these older building in this series of yours it is easy to see the common thread that leasd us to the roots of construction here in America. There is not much difference in these and ones I have seen on my revoloutionary war trek. Your shot is wonderfully detail. Great capture.

Greg