Aristocratic Travels and Adventures Exhibition
Opened in 2016 on the ground floor and upper floor of the former Amazon Hotel building, the “Aristocratic Travels and Adventures” exhibition offers visitors an interactive glimpse into the history of travel over the past centuries, exploring the world of carriages, ships, automobiles, and airplanes.
Visitors can learn about the preparations for journeys, what was packed in a travel trunk, and see historical objects such as a 1930s hairdryer, the medicines carried on long trips, and a period wagon used for rescue purposes.
The exhibition also illustrates the road network of the Habsburg Empire and the dangers travelers faced. Visitors can even experience a carriage simulator, testing what it was like to travel on the roads of the time.
The exhibition introduces the intricacies of railway travel. One of its highlights is a fully restored first-class railway carriage, representing the luxury category of the era.
As railways expanded, travel habits changed. More people set out during summer and winter, with the resorts of the Tatra Mountains becoming popular destinations. Visitors can see the equipment of historical tourists, including a walking stick that concealed a small snap-top bottle.
Gallery
A special comic strip brings a historical journey along Lake Balaton to life, featuring a young lady traveling through the period’s most famous resorts, including Füred and Keszthely.
Through model ships, visitors can study the structure of multi-masted sailing ships and try a ship’s helm themselves. Historical shipping advertisements showcase the offerings of the largest 19th–20th century shipping companies and illustrate how one could have won a world cruise at the time.
Gallery
Visitors can closely examine the basket of a gas-balloon airship, recalling the achievements of Schwartz Dávid, the Keszthely-born inventor. The rigid, metal-framed, steerable airship model highlights early attempts to conquer the skies.
The exhibition also presents the world of automobiles through several original historic brands. Seeing early Benz and Lancia models gives visitors a sense of travel in the pioneering days of motoring—and a glance at contemporary maps shows the maximum allowed speeds in Europe during that era.
The average duration of viewing the exhibition is approximately 20-30 minutes.