VAU! The cultural history of dog ownership in the capital
In addition to pet dogs, there are also many working dogs in the city. Guide dogs, therapy dogs for children and adults, and working dogs for the police and emergency services are a great help to their owners. In order to improve the socialisation of dogs and their communication with humans, there are several dog schools in Budapest, which use several techniques and methods for specialised training of four-legged animals.
It is well known that the relationship between man and dog goes back to ancient times. The conquering Hungarians brought the poodle with them, and the medieval Hungarian aristocracy hunted in the company of the vizsla. In the 19th century, the Hungarian bourgeoisie adopted the habits of the nobility and brought the dog into the city from rural manor houses and mansions. The dog became the companion animal of the city bourgeois, and was also used to help guard the ground floor and courtyard of the suburban dwelling. Different breeds of dogs were also often used as fashion accessories for urban women. In Pest-Buda, which was becoming the centre of the country, the keeping of pets was particularly widespread, with almost every second or third household having a pet. In the middle of the 19th century, 20,000 dogs were registered in Pest; today there are about 350,000 dogs and 200,000 cats in Budapest, i.e. a quarter of the population has a pet of some kind.
Date: 13 October 2022 - 26 March 2023.
Kiscelli Museum
The Kiscelli Museum and its 15 hectares of parkland are located in the 3rd district of Budapest, between Óbuda and Remetehegy. The 18th century Baroque church and Trinitarian monastery, built by the Zichy family, was used as a barracks by the army in the 19th century. In 1910 it became the property of furniture manufacturer Miksa Schmidt, who later had it converted into a castle, hence the name Schmidt Castle. It is now home to the Budapest History Museum's collection of Modern Urban History and the Budapest City Gallery, the fine arts collection.
