The First "Butterfly Project"
in Hungary
The György Bessenyei Gymnasium and College in Kisvárda has brought the "Butterfly Project" to Hungary in collaboration with generationE and the Zachor Foundation. The school, located in this town in eastern Hungary, has linked the "Butterfly Project" with its own "Empty Benches" project.
Through the "Empty Benches" project—initiated in the 2015/2016 academic year—the Kisvárda Gymnasium commemorates former students who were deported and murdered during the Holocaust in 1944. Every year on January 27th—International Holocaust Remembrance Day—the school holds a commemorative ceremony.
In preparation for the 2026 event, students at the Kisvárda Gymnasium engaged with the life stories of the murdered Jewish youths. generationE researched and provided the biographies for this purpose.
The installation, featuring painted ceramic butterflies, was ceremonially inaugurated within the school building on January 27, 2026. The "Butterfly Project" in Kisvárda was supported by the Zachor Foundation (HU).