From Palace to Prison
Event details
- Location
- Dungeon Visitor Centre
- Date
- Organizer
- Dungeon Visitor Centre
Guided tour from the Archbishop's Palace to the Visitor Center at the Castle, on the anniversary of József Mindszenty's imprisonment. We will explore the personal aspects of József Mindszenty, Bishop of Veszprémwith Tibor Varga, an expert on the subject.
On November 27, 1944, József Mindszenty, Bishop of Veszprém, and his priests were arrested on the orders of the Arrow Cross government. The police wanted to push him into the car like a common criminal, but his priests would not allow it, and the strange procession set off on foot, with the police on one side and the three arrested men on the other. the police on one side of the road, the three arrested men and the priests accompanying them on the other. The sight was shocking even without the bishop's regalia; the people of Veszprém prayed on the road welcomed the arrested bishop's blessing, and followed the procession in large numbers. The county bishop and twenty-six priests were arrested on November 27 and 29, 1944. , they were first held in Veszprém in the Várbort, then in Sopronkőhidán in prison, and finally in Sopron, in the Sopron convent of the Daughters of the Divine Savior. Unjustly imprisoned by the Arrow Cross Party, the young priests did not lose heart or become discouraged. Instead, they joked and called themselves "zsivány priests" . Zsivány means bandit or outlaw! In difficult times, the Hungarian people call heroes who fight against injustice by this name.
Date: November 27, 2025 (Thursday) 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Location/Meeting point: Holy Trinity statue in the Castle District
Duration: 90 minutes
Maximum number of participants: 20 people
Age group: young people and adults
The tour will be led by: Tibor László Varga, archivist at the Veszprém Archdiocese Archives
Program fee: free, but registration is required.
The guided tour is held only in Hungarian!
The exhibition content is also available in English.