At the Esterházy family’s mansion in Želiezovce, the roof structure and the northeast
wing are being renovated from two project sources. The reconstruction of the roof
is financed by the European Economic Area grant under the Culture program. The
goal of the project “Restoration of the manor house in Želiezovce in order to preserve
the cultural heritage and make it accessible to the general public – Stage 1″ is not
only the restoration of the roof of the manor house, but also educational, marketing
and cultural activities.
The first of these activities was a lecture connected with a mini-exhibition about the
Roma Holocaust during the Second World War. Roma activists Štefan Babindák and
Ernest Babindák lectured about the genocide of the Roma in this period, called
Porajmos in Romani, to pupils from elementary schools with Hungarian teaching
language in Želiezovce and Čata, as well as to students of the local J. A. Comenius
Gymnasium.
The event was opened by the mayor of Želiezovce, Ondrej Juhász, who also took
over the patronage of the entire event. During the lecture, the participants became
familiar with the basic realities of Roma history, the injustices that befell this nation in
the Middle Ages, but also in recent decades and cruelties during World War II, when,
according to estimates, the Nazis killed a quarter to a half of the entire Romapopulation in Europe at the time. The message of the event was a call for mutual
communication, more intensive acquaintance and deep respect for representatives of
other nationalities.
The campaign against racism also began with this event.