The surrounding area
Cserhát mild hills and it’s villages offer „eye pleasure recreation” to our visitors. Mikszáth, our famous novella writer called this region „Görbeország” (curved country). The low little highlands offer many excursion opportunities. More important is that the ethnic group, who live here, the „palóc”, are famous about their kind hospitality and that they keep alive their folklore.
Hollókõ is the only village of Hungary which is part of the World Heritage with it’s natural surrounding also. (The Hollókõ Landscape Protection area is 141 hectares big.) The inhabitants of the settlement wear their folk clothing decorated richly beside their characteristic Palóc dialect proudly. Hollókõ’s Old Village has 65 protected buildings, which preserve the splendid folk architecture of Palóc beggining from the XVII. century. The Roman Catholic church with a wooden tower was built in 1889, and it’s covered with shingle.
The Palóc built their homes on big undivided property lands, according to their big-family structure. These the characteristics remained and can be admired these days. The village is also famous about the most soundly remained Nógrád castle, which is settled on the 362 m high peak.
We may visit Alsótold village, which lies in the stem of Cserhát highest and most wooded mountain. This is the old home of Toldi’s. You can have your lunch in the famous Bean Soup Csárda (wayside inn), but a beautiful backpack tour can make your day happy on the famous Blue Hike Road. After eastern Cserhát picturesque villages it’s worth to visit the capital of Palócföld, Balassagyarmat and it’s famous sight, the Palóc Museum. You can easily reach from the old capital another little village, Horpács. Horpács gives place to the Mikszáth Kálmán Memorial Museum. Kálmán Mikszáth was one of the most famous hungarian novellist.
South from Horpács, you can reach Bánk, and it’s beautiful lake, surrounded with small holiday houses, a water-stage, and the Slovak Provincial House. We must also mention the village called Kétbodony, and the picturesque Kisecset (it means little brush) municipality. It is compulsory for literary pilgrims to visit the Madách Imre Memorial Mansion on Csesztve, and the Mauks mansion on Horpács. Terény is likewise a picturesque little village, from where it is easy to go on a castle tour to the ruins of a Szanda castle.
The parish of Bercel is homeland of castles and mansions, but also is a rich place for those who miss domestic animals in their everyday life. Here in Bercel you can collect a lot of information about how domestic animals live in their natural environment, you can learn how to keep them, and you can practice some folk trades also. Jákótpuszta is part of Bercel, and it is a reconstructed model farm, fitting into the area's ecological unit, and working according to it’s environment. From among the indigenous species in a considerable number can be found here the cigája sheep, goats, mangalica pigs, horses, donkeys and buffalo.
The neighbourhood and we guarantee a substantial pastime for small ones and big ones! |
