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Located in the heart of the Transylvanian Carpathian Mountains, Veresszék will be the location of Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s latest training center. It will host various camps and professional training courses, build the local Hungarian community, strengthening their traditions and national unity. Recently, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also visited the new training site where he met with MCC students from both Transylvania and Hungary.
The Veresszék Training Center will play a key role in the Collegium's cross-border community building. Tucked away in the Csíki Mountains, the facility will be available to all MCC students. Like MCC’s Révfülöp training center, students from every corner of the Carpathian Basin will have the opportunity to benefit from the unique cultural and natural richness of Veresszék. One of Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s many roles is creating a network of educational centers for young Hungarians which will foster a love for their homeland and the strengthen of national cohesion of Hungarians. This newly opened campsite offers a unique opportunity for intellectual and spiritual enrichment and community-building for students participating in any of MCC’s educational programs.
Due to its isolated setting in the Kászon Basin, the area around Veresszék is a depository of authentic Szekler traditions and customs. The villages here, situated at an altitude of 700-750 meters, are surrounded by beautiful scenery, with mountains ranging from 1,000-1,200 meters. For centuries, the area's good air and acidic mineral water have attracted people seeking healing, while the surrounding mountains offer excellent opportunities for hiking and camping.
Plans for the wellhouse over the Veresszék acidulous mineral spring were designed by the famous Hungarian architect Károly Kós. The wellhouse fell into disrepair during the Second World War and was taken over by the military. After the war, after another decade of extraction, the well house and the mineral spring were abandoned in 1956, and in the 1960s a local cooperative took over. During this period, a wing was built next to the well house, which was out of keeping with the house designed by Károly Kós. Later, due to neglect, the roof of the well house collapsed and the road to Veresszék became impassable. The reconstruction of the house began in 2005, when its new owner restored the area, created a park around the site, and rebuilt the building.
In 2022, Mathias Corvinus Collegium acquired the property which has since been modernized and upgraded to make it more comfortable. Sustainable infrastructure has also been built using renewable energy, due to camp being without piped water, sewer, electricity and gas services. This allows hundreds of students to enjoy quality education and comfortable camping.
During Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s visit to the new MCC center, he met with students from Transylvania and Hungary, and answered questions about European politics, opportunities for promoting Hungarian national interests, the challenges of being a politician, and his experiences with books and films.
Mathias Corvinus Collegium is the largest talent and educational institution in the Carpathian Basin, and with the addition of its Veresszék center, it now offers free educational and development programs to more than 7,000 students in 29 locations. MCC hopes to grow this number in the next few years to 10,000 talented students in 35 centers.