Northern Great Plain, Hungary

Northern Great Plain
This flatland borders on the Ukraine and Rumania. The famous Hortobágy National Reserve is located here. The vast grass steppe in the glowing sun, the sweep-pole wells surrounded by gazing herds and the mysterious stories about the `puszta outlaws` have been immortalized in several masterpieces of great Hungarian poets and painters. Tiny villages preserve hidden treasures. Quality hotels and elegant neat houses offer first class accommodations for travellers. Medicinal spas promise healing and rejuvenation. Plenty of opportunities are available here for tourists wishing to discover new areas.

Home | Regions | History | Food

Northern Great Plain Regional Marketing Directorate
5000 Szolnok Sóház u. 8. fsz. 2. Pf.: 330
Phone: 56-516-110, 56-516-111
Fax: 56-516-116
E-mail: rmiszolnok@hungarytourism.hu

Village-life: Csaroda, Tákos, Tarpa, Túristvándi
On Motorway 41, heading to the Ukrainian border, tiny villages welcome the traveler. Csaroda has a 700 year old church. Its walls were whitewashed in 1640 and decorated with flower patterns. The restoration revealed the original fresco pictures of saints and apostles. The Calvinist church of Tákos built around 1760 is named the "Barefoot Notre-Dame". On the painted wooden ceiling of this masterpiece of folk architecture with 58 coffers there are no two floral designs that are identical.

Travelers will surely cherish the journey through the Tisza river territory among their best memories. Almost every settlement is worth visiting. Tarpa's industrial monument is the shingle built mill, which was formerly powered by horses. The Museum of Local History offers rich ethnographic material.

The huge wheels of the still working 18th century water-mill of Túristvándi are moved by the water of the river Túr. The 500-year-old Gothic-style Calvinist church has a beautiful shingle built bell-tower.

Szatmárcseke
Szatmárcseke is famous for the protected cemetery with boat-shaped grave stones, a unique landmark in Europe. Ferenc Kölcsey, writer of the National Anthem, lived and was buried here. He played a role in reforming the Hungarian language. The exhibition on his life is in the Kölcsey Memorial Room. One of the many beautiful houses is the Regional House of Szatmárcseke: a 200 year-old thatched building with open chimney and authentic furnishings.

Nyíregyháza
Nyíregyháza is the `capital` of the Nyírség. This is a quiet, friendly town where the squares are decorated with flowers and the well tended parks offer pleasant walks. Visitors will find high quality musical entertainment and a lively cultural life.

In the center of the town stands a Baroque Lutheran Church with a carillon in front, designed by an Italian architect. The Eclectic buildings defining the image of the town are: the Town Hall, the old-fashioned Hotel Korona and Casino and the County Hall. Among the mosaic decorated houses built in Art Nouveau Style, stands the Nyírvíz Palace. Its first floor houses the Kállay Collection, consisting of rich medal and heraldic crest displays.

Nyíregyháza-Sóstófürdő health resort is near the city. Its salt lake is suitable for both bathing and boating. The open-air Museum Village of Sóstó has a rich ethnographic collection from the Upper Tisza Region. There are live craft demonstrations.

Nyírbátor, Máriapócs
Nyírbátor is the burial place of the noble Báthory family. The 15th century Calvinist Church of St. George is a Gothic masterpiece. The secret of the famous Nyírbátor concerts is the melodic sound of the organ and the excellent acoustics of the church. Next to the church, the country's largest wooden bell tower is an artwork of Hungarian wood carving. The pulpit and the altars of the Minorite Roman Catholic Church represent the peak of Hungarian Baroque wood-carving. The church's most beautiful ornament is the Krucsay Wooden Altar. The Renaissance collection of the István Báthory Museum is in the Baroque Minorite Monastery.

Máriapócs has become a worship place of the Blessed Virgin, because of the picture of the miraculous weeping Madonna in the Greek Orthodox Basilica. The current church, of imposing dimensions, was built in 1756 and Pope Pius XII awarded it the rank of basilica minor. In 1991 Pope John Paul II was a guest here during his visit to Hungary. Valuable relics are preserved in the church's ecclesiastical collection.

Szolnok
Szolnok has been located at the crossing place of the Tisza and Zagyva rivers for 900 years. This waterside town has many beautiful beaches. An international rowing course was built on the Tisza Backwater. The camp-site of Tisza-liget has many sports facilities. The City Hall and the Lutheran Church represent Eclecticism, while the Szigligeti Theatre is an interesting attempt to amalgamate Art Nouveau with modern style elements. The Medicinal Bath can be reached by a pleasant walk along the waterside promenade by the neo-Gothic Calvinist church.

The Damjanich János Museum presents the history of the county. Notable monuments of the city are the 18th century Baroque Franciscan church and monastery. The Open-air Hydrographic Museum offers an overview of the water management of the Middle Tisza Region.

Jászberény, Mezőtúr, Tiszakürt, Túrkeve
Jászberény, the biggest settlement of the 'Jászság' is famous for its spa bath and its monuments. In summer an outstanding series of events shows the life and customs of the inhabitants of Jászság.

Mezőtúr's master potters and busy fairs earned fame for the city in the Middle Ages. The Badár Balázs memorial in the Pottery Art House and the Túr Pottery Museum show the 500-year history of the internationally known pottery. Tiszakürt is famous for its Arboretum consisting of 600 plant species.

Notable sons of the town have carried the fame of Túrkeve far and wide. Outstanding film makers, the Korda brothers, and the author and sculptor Sándor Finta, made their way to America. Gergely Finta went to Paris where he worked in Rodin's atelier as a sculptor. Their legacy is preserved at the Finta Museum. There is also an exhibit about life and animal stock breeding on the plain of Nagykunság. Rheumatic complaints are treated at the Medicinal and Thermal Bath.

Hortobágy National Park
Hortobágy is one of the largest protected steppes in Europe. Here Hungarian Grey Cattle, stud horses, the spiral horned Racka sheep and buffalo herds graze on the open pastures. The area of the Hortobágy National Park became a World Heritage site in 1999.

The Nine-Arch-Bridge near the village of Hortobágy is the longest vehicular stone bridge in the country. The almost 300 years old typical `Puszta` restaurant Hortobágy Csárda offers original country dishes. The nearby Shepherd Museum shows the life of the shepherds, who lived out in the open, in winter and summer. The incomparable flora and fauna, the folk art and the tools used in the crafts that are characteristic of the Hungarian Puszta, are exhibited in the Hortobágy Körszín. Visitors can see grey cattle, buffaloes, goats and mangalica pigs in the Puszta Animal Park, in open-air folds and pens. The many faces of the Puszta are shown in the paintings of the Hortobágy Gallery.

Mát is the home of the famous Hortobágy Stud: the Nonius strain has been bred here for 300 years. From the fishpond keeper's-house visitors can observe the extraordinarily rich water world, while the lookout tower at the Szálkahalom keeper's-house offers a view of the bird life of forests and salt lakes. If you are looking for adventure, make an excursion in a horse-drawn wagon on the endless flat-land.

Debrecen
Debrecen is the second most populated city in the country. It is called "Calvinist Rome" because of the central role it played in the Hungarian Reformation in the 16th century. Debrecen has been a university town since the Middle Ages. It was one of the "capitals" of the Revolution and Independence War in 1848-49.

The symbol of the city, the Great Church of Debrecen, with 3000 seats, is the largest Calvinist church in the country. Its interior decoration is in the severe puritan style. One treasured relic is the armchair of Lajos Kossuth who on 14th April 1849 proclaimed the dethronement of the Habsburg House here.

The Calvinist College with its famous students, became the "School of the Country". The 180 year-old building contains a fully equipped original Calvinist school, old masterpieces of goldsmith work, wonderful embroideries and painted furniture. The Great Library is a national monument. The rarest books in the 50000 volume collection are the 39 codices. The Hotel Aranybika is the oldest working hotel in the country.

The following are also worth seeing: the Small Calvinist Church with its truncated tower, the Red Church, the Synagogue, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Lajos Kossuth University of Sciences, the Déri Museum and the Basilica of St. Anne. The Great Forest [Nagyerdő] park has been a nature reserve since 1939. It includes a zoo, an amusement park and a botanical garden. The thermal water of the Nagyerdő Medicinal Bath is used for treatment of many ailments. The festivals and cultural programs have earned international fame for the city.

Hajdúböszörmény
In Hajdúböszörmény, the Museum of the Hajdúság Region displays the archaeological, ethnographical and regional history of the area. The evolution of folk architecture can be traced in the Open-air Ethnographic Museum (Skanzen). The works of the painter of the Hortobágy, Miklós Káplár, can be studied in his memorial house.

Hajdúszoboszló
Hajdúszoboszló has been both the "Mecca for Rheumatics" for 75 years and the most popular holiday resort of the Great Plain. This is a wonderful town, not only for those looking for improvement to their health, but also for tourists on holiday and all who enjoy adventure pools. There is a huge open-air pool, a boating lake, a recently built Aquapark with a 113 metre giant slide, a racing slide with four lanes, a 101-metre black hole and a crazy stream.

The aluminum bell collection in the Bell House in front of the pool is unique. The frescos in the 18th century Church of St. Ladislaus depict the finding of the healing water. The exhibitions on local history and ethnography, from the Bocskai István Museum, are shown in different houses along Bocskai Street. The pottery house is decorated with the famous unglazed black ceramic ware from Nádudvar.