The former Hungarian pavilion of the World Exhibition in Milan has been completely reborn.

Sámándob, the Hungarian pavilion of the 2015 Milan Expo, reopened as a cultural center in Karcago, Szoljon.hu . The building was transported home after the world exhibition, and for a few years it was disassembled and waited to shine again in its old glory. The domestic reconstruction of the iconic building that once represented Hungary began in 2022, and thanks to the works, the Karcag Kincse Art and Conference Center was created in the more than two thousand square meter building.

Magyar Nemzet on the basis of the portal , the building consists of two appearance elements, the central, flat-roofed part and the two outer, cylindrical sections, which are joined by a rest attraction with a reinforced concrete support structure and an outdoor stage. The building also houses offices, an event hall and an internal stage, which makes Sámándob suitable for holding lectures, exhibitions, conferences, and holding traditional events. A café awaits visitors on the top floor.

As the Minister of Finance Mihály Varga said at the opening on Thursday: in the future, the building can serve as the spiritual center of the locals. The architectural creation was located in the also renovated Erzsébet Park, which is the scene of leisure and cultural programs. The minister added: As the capital of Nagykunság, Karcag is a special location that has written itself into the history books as a meeting place of ancient cultures.

Through the Kunks and Jászs, this city still displays the Central Asian roots of Hungarians, character traits that remain unchanged in the history of Hungarians, their thousand-year-old double identity of being European and at the same time originating from Asia. Therefore, the symbolic building known as the Sámándob was placed in a good place, perhaps the most suitable point in the country

he said.

The mayor of the city, Tibor Szepesi , said: - The building radiates strength, energy, the sense of life and world view of the Kunis who settled in the Great Plain area, thus it is the embodiment of the ancient culture whose roots are to be found in the Far East, and which have remained here among us over generations.

Cover image: The Sámándob (Photo: Új Néplap/Erzsébet Daróczi)