The history of the Zsámbéki Guesthouse dates back for more than 200 years, to 1815. Like all old houses, this one tells so much more than the history of the building itself – for two old families of Zsámbék, the Hajdú and Techert families, for several generations, the house meant life.
Dr. Erzsébet Budainé-Hajdú, linguist and ethnographer, is the oldest member of the family, who is still living in Hungary. For the proof-reading of the book “Zsámbék története Jelli páter nyomán”, the city of rewarded her with the PRO URBE award on August 20, 2022.
(Excerpts from this volume will be published later). Our guesthouse hosted the family celebration. Erzsébet told us stories about the history of the family and the house. We congratulate her on the award and on a fine career!
The video filmed at the awards ceremony can be watched here!
The house, which has been operating as the Zsámbéki Guesthouse since 2002, was built by Erzsébet’s mother’s great-grandfather. Since then it has always been occupied by family members, often 2-3 brothers and sisters and their families at the same time. As Erzsébet says, after the deportation her mother felt it was her life’s mission to preserve the ancestral nest so that her family would have a place to return to when they visited their homeland. At least twice a year, she whitewashed the street and the courtyard. They were eight brothers and sisters altogether, but she alone remained in Zsámbék.
The children – Antal 1931, Teréz 1932, János 1936, and Erzsébet 1947 – were no longer able to take care of the house after the death of their parents. “We feel it was a gift from heaven that the new owners, Gotthard Maus and his wife Anikó Bács, have transformed our former home into a 5 apartment guesthouse with great expertise and a million creative ideas, sacrificing time, effort and money”, said Erzsébet.
The eldest member of the family in Hungary, Erzsébet currently lives with her husband on a farm near Tompa. She still has cousins in Germany who were born here.
Their father, János Hajdú, died in 2002, aged 97. For many years he was the oldest citizen of the village, who remained here.
The house was owned by their family until it was sold to Maus Gotthard, the first owner of Pegazus Tours. They established the riding school in the yard of the house, and they transformed the house to its current look. It was sold three years ago to the Galgóczi family, from whom it was bought in early 2022 by the current owners, Dr. Zoltán Forrai and Dr. Krisztina Kiss, who continue to run the house as a guesthouse.
Source, information, pictures: Dr. Erzsébet Budainé-Hajdú, Etelka Hajdú
We thank Erzsébet and the family for their consent to the publication of the photos and all the information!
