Did you know that the Hungarian word paprika is used in many languages and comes from the southern Slavic word papar meaning pepper?

In the 18th and 19'h centuries the peasants and craftspeople of Baranya created their own unique tools and vessels. Their popular art reflects the wonderful talent of different groups of several tongues and religions. Baranya County is home to several minorities: ten ethnographic groups of Hungarians; Germans; Croatians; Serbs and Gypsies.

Visitors can sense the athmosphere of the original villages, as they walk up and down the streets and among the workshops, buildings and yards. Visitors can learn about crafts rare or completely forgotten by today. Traditional feasts, habits and foods of the village society are also represented.

The village of Ófalu (Old Village) was repopulated by settlers arriving from Hessen and Fulda, beginning in the 1750s. The residents of Ófalu were originally tax paying cottars and serfs who were involved in forest related jobs in addition to keeping cattle.

There was a beautiful water tower in the middle of the town, which was out of order. We asked for it to make a monument of the history of industry of it. After we were granted the tower, we decided on processing the history of wells in it and make it possible for the audience to visit it. Everybody collected something. I provided the furnishing of the museum. After we were done, we invited the leadership of the town. We were so successful that they offered support to expand the show right on that spot.

In its existence of a quarter of a century, it had 33 000 pieces listed and about 50 000 pieces unlisted documents and objects. The field of interest of the museum is unique in Hungary.