Eger (and surroundings) Day 3 - Noszvaj, Recsk, Feldebrő

On the last day of our trip, we visited three villages near Eger.  First we went to Noszvaj to see the De la Motte mansion. The mansion was built in the late 18th century. Each room of the house was painted by some of the best artists of the time.

Here is one section of the ceiling from one room.  

The paintings are amazing. There is so much detail and symbolism.  Even the areas around the windows are painted to make the room look like there are columns and other 3-D structures when the walls are actually flat.  

After Noszvaj, we went to Recsk.  I don't know that I can repeat everything we learned because it was too upsetting.  From 1950 to 1953, Recsk was the location of a forced labor camp.  The prisoners were taken from their homes in the night and kept without trial.  Many were scholars and other intellectuals whom the Soviets feared. The stories we heard were sickening.  The men were forced into hard labor with minimal clothing, food, and shelter. They were mentally and physically tortured with extreme methods. 

It took a while to break the mood after that.  Our final stop was a church in Feldebrő. The church is unique because while sanctuary is Roman Catholic and the crypt is Greek Orthodox. Built in the 11th century, the original church was mostly destroyed. Centuries later, they built on top of the crypt and the standing walls to create the church that exists today.  Although the sanctuary area is quite beautiful, the crypt is the best part.  The paintings from the 11th century were remarkable.