Opening hours:
Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00-18:00
Opening hours:
Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00-18:00
EXPLORE
I BELIEVE. THEREFORE I AM.
This exhibition showcases the stories of people and communities who believed in the values of their communities and were strong in their faith in God.
This is the story of how a small Hungarian village, Zaláta (Baranya County), came together to get an organ through years of hard work and strong faith.
In 1929, a new pastor and his wife arrived in the village. They decided to start an organ fund and collect donations until they could afford one. The locals supported the idea with heart and soul. The pastor's wife organized 16 evenings of entertainment to raise money, and they also published a book of poetry. To cover the printing costs, the pastor even sold two of his foals.
For seven years, the community prayed, worked, and raised funds. In the end, their efforts were enough to buy a used organ. It was originally built by the Angster and Son Organ and Harmonium Factory and had first been installed in the Corpus Christi Chapel of Pécs Cathedral in 1891.
The church and village of Zaláta (Photo: Zsolt Brem, 2020).
The organ finally arrived in Zaláta on June 9, 1937. It came in 18 crates by train. Caretaker Sándor Nagy and ten others picked it up from the station using 11 horse-drawn carriages. As they entered the village, the church bells rang. The congregation stood waiting in front of the church, singing Psalms and praying with their pastor before the organ was brought inside.
A zalátai templom, 1968 (JPM NO 17971).
World War II brought hard times. The village was occupied by German, Soviet, Yugoslav, and Bulgarian troops. The church and its property were damaged, and the organ was nearly destroyed.
The organ before renovation (photo: Judit Hajdók, 2013).
Soldiers even mounted the pipes on vehicles, where they made sounds as the wind passed through them during movement.
The organ before renovation (photo: Judit Hajdók, 2013).
But the story didn't end there. In 2017, the organ was fully restored as part of a project to renovate several wooden-cassette churches in the Ormánság region. The restoration was done by the Organ Building Manufactory of Pécs, the successor to the original builder.
After more than 70 years, the people of Zaláta once again gathered in front of the church to welcome the returning organ. This time, it came not by horse carriage, but by truck from Pécs. They once again welcomed with joy, faith, and deep gratitude the instrument for which their predecessors and they had done so much and in which they believed.
The renovated organ (photo: Judit Hajdók, 2017).
