Arpad – Barry's Adventures Following Retirement

Rise and shine! My morning began very early on the day I had planned to visit Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park in Hungary. The neighbor’s rooster “went off” at 4:30 am at dawn’s first light so I got up and prepared for the day. The hotel’s cook-to-order breakfast was a wonderful start to a day I knew would include a significant amount of walking in the large park.

My primary reason for wanting to visit this specific park was to explore more about Hungarian history, specifically Arpad. The park is located on the grounds where the Magyar chiefs founded Hungary in 896. I also was interested in several other facets about this place.

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Chiefs — Arpad Leading Magyar Chieftains (Heroes’ Square)

During my explorations of individuals in my family tree, I have often discovered several interesting characters. I have written about some of them in blog stories such as “My Ancestor the Witch,” a convicted Salem sorceress.

About 10 years ago while doing additional research in my mother’s family tree I surprisingly discovered some Hungarian heritage. While I am presently in Hungary, it has become very exciting to obtain more insight into this part of my family lineage from the National Museum and further Internet searches. Surprised once again, the lineage goes directly to the foundation of Hungary in 896 AD!

This story is about my adventures discovering memorials for Arpad, “First Prince of the Magyars” and memorials for Bela IV, King of Hungary, and one of Arpad’s 11th great grandsons.

Continue reading “Exploring for My Hungarian Ancestors”