In connection with the Chernel Memorial Year a historical walk was introduced by the institute’s historian Dr Mónika Mátay on 10 May 2022.
Action 3 of the Institute of Advanced Studies joins an already functioning smartphone application of Kőszeg (“Kőszeg Walks”). Visitors and locals downloading the application can acquire historical and cultural information about the Chernel-family and their deeds for boosting the town of Kőszeg. Kálmán and István Chernel were both famous scientists: István was an ornithologist who organized the first Birds and Arbour Day in Kőszeg in 1902, while his father, Kálmán a lawyer and local historian of the 19th century Kőszeg.
The development of the historical walk started with a preliminary research of Mónika Mátay on the different interesting stories of the Chernel family, while our main stakeholders (Tourinform Office of Kőszeg, Kőszeg Town Museum and Őrség National Park) helped us to select the single stations and record the GPS coordinates of the route. The most interesting stops of the walk are the Chernel Garden – Arboretum and Bird rescue centre, the Bechtold István Visitor Centre with it’s permanent Chernel exhibition, the Chernel or Festetics Palace and the Chernel family's tomb.
The colleagues of the Tourinform Office – owner of the App – uploaded the stories to the application along with some photos from the time of the Chernels’ that were provided by the Kőszeg Town Museum.
By June 2022 a printed map – showing 3 thematic walks of Kőszeg and 3 of the Nature Park – was designed, printed in 3000 copies and distributed in the local Tourinform Office and the Zwinger/Old Tower.
The walk can be downloaded from the following site: play.google.com/store/apps/details
A journalist of the daily county newspaper was invited to the guided walk and reported in the printed and online media about it: www.vaol.hu/pr/2022/05/sorsuk-osszeforrt-koszeggel
