The operational model of BotanicArt follows in the footsteps of leading international museums, while retaining its own distinctive character. Our thematic exhibitions highlight the transmission of knowledge connected to environmental culture, alongside artistic and art-historical education. We also offer art therapy sessions based on creative practice, designed to support emotional wellbeing. The community space within the House of Arts is open and free to all during regular opening hours. Visitors may engage with the exhibitions independently through a self-guided interactive stand, deepening their personal experience.
Our latest exhibition continues the cultural and artistic journey we began in 2023 with Elefsina, within the European Capital of Culture project. This initiative explored the use of wild edible plants—connecting culinary traditions with art and heritage. In this new chapter, visitors are invited to imagine themselves at the tables of some of Hungary’s most famous queens, discovering dishes and culinary stories that span centuries. To mark the 200th anniversary of celebrated author Mór Jókai, the exhibition also presents recipes recalling his favourite dishes—reinterpreted with a contemporary touch and a vegan twist, in line with modern approaches to nutrition.
Edible Wild Plants on the Tables of Hungarian Queens
For princesses arriving from distant lands, life in their new Hungarian home was filled with unfamiliarities: the language, traditions, customs, and even the food placed before them. New tastes, ingredients, and cooking methods had to be embraced in order to take their rightful place in both family and country. Yet these women also shaped their new surroundings, gradually weaving memories and flavours from their childhood into the royal banquets.
Through the stories of three of Hungary’s most renowned queens, this exhibition explores the richness of Hungarian culinary history, with a special focus on the use of wild edible plants, long-forgotten vegetables, and the once-exotic fruits and spices that became part of courtly life.
Queen Gisella – Bavarian princess, wife of King Stephen I (~984–1065)
Queen Beatrix – Neapolitan princess, wife of King Matthias I (1457–1508)
Queen Elisabeth (Sisi) – Bavarian princess, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I (1837–1898)
