Europe’s largest Persian rug was finished in Hungary

Blikk.hu reports about the Hungarian Parliament’s new rug, which was finished recently. It took two years of knotting, and it embodies the craftiness and devotion of seven women from a small Hungarian village.

Last October, we have already reported that a team of seven women from Öcsöd is working on the Parliament’s new rug. They work for the Art-Kelim company, which provided the previous rug too, but since that was finished almost 60 years ago and since became worn-out, there was a need for a new commission.

Öcsöd, July 4 2018
MTI Fotó: Sándor Ujvár

Rug knotting is a tradition in the Békésszentandrás-Öcsöd region, the same group of women have been knotting rugs there for decades, using centuries-old techniques.

Öcsöd is the home of Hungarian Persian rugs and the last place in Hungary, where such high-quality hand-knotted rugs are made.

This year is the one-hundredth anniversary of the setting up of the ‘knotting business’ there: a notary arrived from Transylvania with his wife, who enjoyed knotting a lot and taught other women too. Their works were of such an exceptional quality that three companies were in contact with the village in the interwar years.

The seven women worked five-six hours a day on the rug over the past two years that is made up of 15 million knots.

Given that the rug is 21 metres in length and around 7 in width, and that the women could progress only 5-6 centimetres a day, it is no wonder it took them so long. Since the rug weighs over four quintals, at least twelve men were needed to bring it up the stairs and to its intended place in the Parliament, at the representative’s parlour.

The rug cost 54 million forints (166 thousand euros).

featured image: MTI

Source: blikk.hu