Kapoli Museum - Balatonlelle

The building that can be found in Kossuth Street was rebuilt and it became an exhibition hall. It gave place to the exhibition arranged from the works of Antal Kapoli Sr. and Jr. Shepherd wood-carvers. The reason for it is that the town already gave place 26 times to the most dignified folk wood-carver competitions, organised in honour of Antal Kapoli. Since 1992, besides the Kapoli-collection the exhibition arranged from the bequests of Miklós Ligeti, sculptor can also be seen in the house.

The Kapoli Collection
This side of the hills of Mecsek, on the other side of the river Kapos on the skirts of "Somogy country" there were living two shepherds, a father and his son. They were famous of their carving knowledge even in faraway lands. They carved the mighty oak forests of Somogy with their wild animals, the hunter wandering about the vast trackless forest, the denizen of the lowland plains, the shepherd driving sheep, outlaws fighting with "pandours", the young shepherd, holding his rosemary, chastely courting his virgin fiancée, and soldiers marching somewhere, perhaps to Serbia. They carved the past free and brave world of shepherds, the flower-larded dreams of the peniless, and their own patriotism. They carved crooks for shepherds, boxes for fat against scabies, boxes for matches and razors, mounter of mirrors, calabash for carrying water. They manufactured furniture, wall-mirrors, boxes for kerchief, saltshakers for peasants, horns for hunters, and carved sticks and fancy boxes for masters. Later on they carved for museums, art collectors and folk art shops.
A carving competition was named after Antal Kapoli senior (1867-1957) and his statue was erected in the park of the cultural centre of Balatonlelle. Exhibiting their masterpieces the Hungarian Museum of Applied Folk Art in Kecskemét gives them prominence.
It may raise the question, why they are the ones to whom the posterity dedicated so many memorials although during their eight decennial activity etnography discovered many of their excellent shepherd carving contemporaries. But the two Kapolis practically became the symbols of the greatest changes in our folk art. They were living in the long period, when folk art at first had its brightest years, then declining, it raised the interest only of museums and collectors searching for curiosities. At last it totally faded away, but revived in the form of applied art.