If we say the name Baia Mare (Nagybánya), we immediately think of the painters of Baia Mare; by the way, if those painters had not been, Baia Mare would now be just the name of a small town. The same is true for Szárhegy: if Lajos Zöld, András Gaál, and Árpád Márton had not established this creative camp, we probably would not even know about the existence of this settlement. For this small town, the camp is an opportunity, I think, that can raise it to European level – of course, if they can continue to operate this camp on an ongoing basis. In any case, the artist camp and the settlement would need more publicity. Anyway, there are opportunities to gain a higher degree of promotion in television, radio, and press than before. A publication describing the history of the village, and the past and the present of the creative camp should be prepared, and this should, of course, be sent to all Hungarian cultural institutions and companies linked to tourism. I only accidentally stumbled upon the organization called ‘For Tourism in Hungary’, and so I managed to add the name of Gyergyószárhegy to the list of programs recommended by them. This also means that this settlement will sooner or later be added to the list of almost all Hungarian organizations dealing with tourism. Well, we have seen several times how the Hungarian buses drive past the castle in Szárhegy, as they don’t know that they should visit. I have said it many times, and once again: I admire the people who created this camp, I admire the fine art material that has been preserved here, hope to God it will stand the test of the coming decades, because there is always some danger lurking against. As long work and real-life activity is needed no one is ever around; then by the time it is done, the gold diggers appear immediately, coming up with “smart” ideas right away. I feel particularly good here, I really like the Transylvanian landscape, the people of Transylvania, the colleagues I could get to know here. Of course, I know about many Transylvanian artists from various publications and catalogs, and if possible, we invite more of them to the Hortobágy creative camp. I owe a debt of gratitude to those who invited me here.
Imre Égerházi
2001