The sailing ship Szent Jupát was launched on Wednesday on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, which will be fully restored within a year on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its circumnavigation in September 2025, the Mathias Corvinus Collegium and the Hungarian Museum of Technology and Transport announced.

The legendary ship with which Nándor Fa and József Gál circumnavigated the Earth was launched in Révfülöp as a result of the cooperation between the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and the Hungarian Museum of Technology and Transportation.

In 1985, the museum's relic became a symbol not only of sailing, but also of endurance and the human will to fight, after Nándor Fa and József Gál - the first Hungarians - circumnavigated the Earth in a 31-foot-long sailboat.

The legendary ship will be completely restored within a year so that it can shine in all its splendor for the forty-year anniversary.

"Nándor Fa and József Gál forever wrote their names in the history of domestic and international shipping by completing their trip around the world in a ship named after the patron saint of canoes. The two brave adventurers also successfully crossed Cape Horn, considered the Mount Everest of sailors," reads the statement.

Szent Jupát stayed at Lake Balaton for a short time after his return, while Nándor Fa and József Gál created a foundation for its preservation. In 1996, this foundation donated the Balaton-31 sailing ship to the Transport Museum, which was exhibited in the Museum's Hall of Fame in the city park building from 2001.

Five years later, after the demolition of the building, the museum placed the artefact in a guarded warehouse in compliance with all the governing artefact protection conditions – ensuring adequate temperature, humidity and light protection.

This September, St. Jupát can be seen again at the center of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) in Révfülöp. By the spring of 2025, thanks to the cooperation of the two institutions, as well as the professional support and guidance of Nándor Fa, the museum's artefact will receive a full restoration and long-term conservation, so that it will be available to interested people again. In his new service, he introduces Hungarian – especially Balaton – sailing and sailing, as well as contributes to the talent development of young people.

Next year, in September 2025, it will be 40 years since the ship began its impressive tour. In the anniversary year, the museum and the MCC will start a 700-day series of programs, in the framework of which they would like to present the captivating moments of sailing, sailing on the Balaton, and human achievement to the rising generation.

St. Jupat - after its restoration - will be exhibited at the MCC Cholnoky Jenő Children's and Youth Harbor Student Camp.

MTI

Cover photo: Nándor Fa, ship designer and builder, solo ocean sailor (j) at the ceremony for the launch of the sailing ship Szent Jupát at the Cholnoky Jenõ Children's and Youth Harbor in Révfülöp
Source: MTI/Tamás Vasvári