. Welcome . in the Őrség . region in the . Year of Cultural . Tourism! . Blooming . 29. May – 1. June . The Őrség It is probably the only region in our Common religion, similar customs has to offer and can enjoy the century the number of inhabitants country the name of which is not and architecture, and last but advantages of belonging to the of this sub region was halved. Both a geographical term but it derives not least, being always aware of Őrség. Since 21st December, 2007 forced collectivisation of agriculture from its history. The population of belonging to the same sub region not even the national boundaries and badly implemented privatisation historical Őrség was Hungarians or knitted our villages into a tight have been preventing their lives were executed to the expense of Hungarian speaking joined ethnic unit from Kondorfa to Velemér, together. With the vanishing of people living here. By the beginning groups in charge of guarding the from Magyarszombatfa to Ivánc, the crossing bars of the artificially of the 21st century this region frontier since the foundation of the from Kercaszomor to Szőce. The drawn borderline in 1920, difficulties has been practically left without Hungarian state. Their task was to name “Őrség” itself is a great tourist have also disappeared from industry. However, there were preserve the territorial integration attraction. Nothing proves this spontaneous cooperation in beneficial results of backwardness and independence of the country. better than the name “Gate of the connection with old historical Őrség and isolation near the borderline, In return the kings gave them Őrség”, which has become a tourist settlements like Hodos, Kapornak too. A number of small farms conditioned freedom, which they cliché’. Nearby settlements give and Domonkosfa (belonging to the have changed into bio farms, the insisted on keeping during all their this title to themselves, adorning Bükkalja sub region), but also with empty then renewed manors into history. In the name and history it with different attributes. Since ethnographically related villages accommodations. The ecotourism of the Őrség lies its identity, too. it is such a precious thing to be from Szerdahely to Szentlászló. The worshippers can enjoy the relatively Its task was the defence of the a gate, then crossing it must be second part of the 20th century undisturbed natural values of the state’s borders and “gyepü” (a term a lot of adventures awaiting the brought the biggest tribulations of landscape, and the preserved or denoting the Middle Age borders of travellers. Considering tourism not our history, the newest time period reconstructed cultural, historical noble estates, including the State’s only the historical, ethnographical of being an “orphan”. What the and church monuments. Lovers of border line where the two were the or statistical sub regions are Tartars, Turks, Batthyánys, Habsburgs, stable tourism can roam this varied same). Later they had to defend their interdependent, but also the Serbs, epidemics and Trianon were landscape on foot, by bike, on own freedom and they struggled neighbouring parts of the nearby not able to perfect, ideologies horseback, or on a cart. This way for noble privileges and freedom of sub regions on the other side of not characteristic of the land, they can travel not only in space but religion. Our ancestors took part in the border – Vendvidék, Hetés, deportations, collectivisation and also in time, can get acquainted with all freedom fights: they defended the Goričko – enriching what the region forced industrialisation did. In half a our ancestors’ handcraft products, land in the days of German invasions, tools and taste their meals. Torn they protected King Róbert Károly away from the profane world of against the oligarchs, they fought big cities for some weeks, they can against the Tartars and Turks, the admire the sacred buildings of our Habsburgs and the Batthyánys, churches from the Arpad-era and and they fought under the flags of century-old belfries; they can find Bocskai, Rákóczi and Kossuth. The shelter from stress under the bowers. inhabitants of Szomoróc were the The Őrség is preserving the human only ones among the settlements world that is already vanishing of the Carpathian basin who fought due to the uniformity effects of with weapons against the intruders globalisation, the works of craftsmen after World War I. in contrast to garbage heaps of They survived all external attacks, plastic products from production inner oppression; they were lines, the crops provided by nature defending their forever strong in contrast to the products of beliefs. They endured half a century professional agriculture. Common as “orphans” without their own task of people living here and priest and church. However, the coming like visitors is to preserve this Őrség is not only a historical, but environment-friendly island for our also an ethnographical concept. descendants. Landscape today; the last one of them can the bricks at houses also spread. Architectural be seen in Pityerszer in Szalafő. Stabling and hey-farming based Dwelling houses were built on cattle-breeding became generally characteristics The place we are visiting, the Őrség curved (L-shaped) or rounded spread, so farm houses could also is an area with rolling hills and bases. Curved houses were closed renew. Traditional houses of the Simplicity characterises the old log forests. Its resinous pinewoods, from 3 or 4 sides (closed or open Őrség were preserving the archaic buildings and ramming houses not particularly fertile acidic soil U-shape). They served the already techniques of heating equipment – they are nice and harmonious. and the use of the land during stabling, however, still depending and leading away of smoke. Until They are well-situated, the rooms centuries have established the on pasturing to a great extent, half- the 19th century the “füstösházak” are practically arranged, which unique feature of this land. The nomadic animal-keeping very well. (smoke-houses) with one room, reflects centuries-long knowledge long-ago sentries settled down The development of the bourgeois later the so called “füstöskonyhás” of forming building materials on the top of the hills and on the in the 19th century, the cultural (smoke-kitchen) houses were and structures. The situation of clearings of the woods. Later on and economic effects on the area, common. Smoke could get away the buildings and their harmony the descendants of these families the improvement of building through the door or the smoke- with the surroundings developed established small groups of houses materials and techniques altered hole in the kitchen. There were no automatically and accidentally. Only (szerek in Hungarian), which have the traditional architectural image windows in the log buildings; the the beams, the thatched roofs and uniquely preserved the forms of the countryside. Italian brick- “tolitu”s (sliding wooden boards) the gable under the “csonkakonty” of villages after the Hungarian makers appeared in the 1870s in the served as smoke holes. The houses (the front plain of the roof inclines conquest. The building sites were villages of the Őrség, and the first were only freed from smoke at downward leaving the lower part surrounded with smaller or bigger brick houses were built by Styrian the end of the 19th and at the of the gable free) were orated. ports of farming life. Between the bricklayers. Foreign bricklayers and beginnings of the 20th centuries. The beams of the gable were scattered, unclosed houses there some other settlers built the “sindű”- More and more large modern decorated with laced contour, or were hayfields, orchards. Plough- roofed (roofs with tiles) brick houses fireplaces were built with furnace, with geometric or scaled carvings, land production took place on in the places of the log buildings oven, water heater, and cooking- then they were earth coloured. burnt, cleared areas. with thatched roofs and standing- range, very often trimmed with tiles. Brick houses appearing from the out verandas with columns at the The old tabular furnaces built on end of the 19th century had the doorway, the so called “kódisállás” brick basement in the rooms were architectural signs of historicism. Folk architecture (in old days the master only let also torn down. and replaced with The shapes of the houses and the beggars - koldus / kódis – in higher, slenderer new type furnaces the gables also changed; the the house to this point). Burning often with battlement. “csonkakonty” became gradually The Őrség can be found on the area shorter, and later it changed of traditional wooden construction. into a receding gabled roof or Wood was the typical building disappeared. The appearance material until the end of the 18th of the triangle gable and gable century. The farming methods, life roof resulted in a perfectly new style, culture of the lower nobility architectural form. Different living like peasants and the people patterns were applied to decorate of the Őrség with border guard the gable (date of the year, heart-, origin did not differ much from flower- and leaf motives, historist the life style of the villagers and elements). The above mentioned cottars of the nearby villages. Their “kódisállások” (at the entrance) construction and interior furnishing make the brick houses peculiar, can be considered the same from on the proportioned gables there all points of view. On the manors are rims, plastered ornaments of the Őrség people tried to build around the windows. On the tabular everything under one roof. Only insertions of the entrance doors the “favágító” (big-size shed where we can find carvings, rosettes and wood is cut up), the “méhes” (shed chalices. Among brick houses the for hives) and the “kástu” (storage “lábaspajták” (barns on posts) for the goods of the family with one and stables are most of the time or two floors) stood separately. The unplastered.