Hungarian village recreated in gingerbread

A Hungarian village has been recreated in gingerbread, featuring models of 100 houses as well as local businesses, churches and the mayor's office.

Housed in a heritage centre for the Slovak minority in the village of Csomor, the village also features details such as a working train, church windows made of crushed candy, and lamp posts also modelled in gingerbread with LED lights.

Organizer Erzsebet Szabo said the construction of the village had been a team effort by Csomor residents.

"There has been a huge cooperation from our village, people brought in Christmas trees and various decorations when I asked for help in our Facebook group to make this nice," Szabo said. 

"Many people worked on the gingerbread village in the evenings after seven, coming from work, often working with us until midnight. Others who are pensioners came in the morning and spent the day doing this."

The shopping list for the gingerbread village included 70 kilograms of flour, 20 kilograms of icing sugar, 20 kilograms of honey and 220 eggs. But it was all worthwhile to see the reaction, Szabo said. 

"The lamp posts are unique additions to our gingerbread village which are wired with LED lights and are lined up in each little street and corner. And not only the lamps but also their lamp posts are baked from gingerbread," she explained. 

"I'm always moved when I see the children coming and looking at the gingerbread village with their eyes shining with wonder."