World Heritage Sights

23/02/2025

https://www.worldheritagesite.org/tentative/id/5430

The Underwater City of Port Royal is part of the Tentative list of Jamaica in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

20/02/2025

Busó-walking of Mohács
Carnival traditions which banish winter and welcome spring can be found across Europe. Hungary’s oldest and most famous, 'Busó-walking' in Mohács starts today, with around 1000 people taking part. 'Busó-walking', a world-famous folk tradition of the Šokac population in Mohács, a town in southern Hungary, was first recorded at the end of the 18th century.

Origins
According to the legend, the native Šokac people had escaped from Mohács town to the moorland of Mohács Island to avoid Ottoman troops. Returning to the town at night, they crossed the Danube in boat, and, dressed in terrifying masks and making noise with instruments, they drove the Ottoman troops from the town.

black and white postcard, group of five people wearing folk costumes
black and white photograph, four women wearing folk costumes
There is probably little truth in the story - Mohács was liberated from the Ottoman rule in 1687, and the migration of the Šokci started about ten years afterwards. Presumably, the Balkan Šokci brought this tradition, which was further formed in Mohács to today’s celebration.

Carnival costumes
In the parade, busós are men wearing carved wooden masks, moccasins, white linen trousers stuffed with straw, sheepskin coats with their fur outside, tied at the waist by a rope or chain, on which sheep bells hang.
The most important element of the Busó costume is a wooden mask with sheepskin hood, carved from willow and traditionally painted with animal blood. The 'pretty Busós' are girls and boys dressed in Šokac folk wear and their faces are veiled.

In Mohács, veiled women and men in nuptial clothes and other people in carnival dresses are called 'maskara' (masqueraders).

Carnival spectacle
Busó-walking (also called 'poklade') has today lost many of the original traditions, but has gained a lot of spectacle for tourists to enjoy. Spectators should know that the usual moral rules do not apply to Busós, Jankeles and masqueraders during the carnival procession. During the event, there is a special 'suspended' state, often especially at girls’ and women’s expense.
The modern Busó-walking starts on the square that was named after Kóló, the Šokac dance. The disguised Busós, Jankeles and masqueraders gather here and meet other Busó groups, who have crossed over the Danube by boats. When the ancient cannon fires, the different groups walk into the main square of Mohács through the main street, where the carnival begins.
After this, a noisy carnival is celebrated on the bank of the Danube and in the neighbouring streets. At dusk, the groups return to the main square, dance around a huge bonfire and the streets clamour with people.

19/02/2025

https://hungarytoday.hu/region-in-szeklerland-receives-gastronomy-award/

The tourism fair in Bucharest will be a good opportunity to showcase the values, tourist services and unique flavors of Szeklerland.

15/02/2025

CENTURIES OF HISTORY, AND THE DOM PERIGNON OF TOKAJI ASZÚ
Long before the Tokaj-Hegyalja region was declared a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, it was recognized as a first-class wine region. It’s also perhaps the first region to produce wine from botrytized grapes at such a scale. If we believe the legend, then we have the invading 16th-17th-century Ottomans to partially thank for the discovery of the noble rot in Tokaj, which led to the creation of Tokaj aszú.

The story goes that Zsuzsanna Lórántffy (who was the wife of Prince György Rákóczi I and a major landowner in the region) and her vineyard manager, László Máté Szepsi, decided to postpone the harvest on the family’s extensive vineyards when the Turkish invasion was imminent. By the time they got around to the harvest, the grapes had turned into shriveled botrytized raisins. The winemakers decided to use them anyway, and Tokaj aszú was born. “The ‘invention’ of aszú wine as it is known today is attributed to Szepsi,” writes Miles Lambert-Gócs in Tokaj Wine: Fame, Fate, Tradition. “By most accounts, this happened around 1620, although others have thought it might have been earlier … However, oral tradition may be wrong as to Szepsi’s actual contribution. The fact that a 4-puttonyos wine of 1646 was exported to Poland and a law of 1655 required separate harvesting of botrytized fruit strongly suggests that aszú wine production was taking place since at least 1600, and that any innovation by Szepsi had to do with some particular detail.” “Undeniably, there is an aura about Szepsi: he ranks among the very few persons to whom a kind of wine is attributed. He could be called the Dom Perignon of Hungary,” continues Lambert-Gócs. “From all the fanfare about him in Hungarian wine history, it can hardly be doubted that he made a major contribution of some sort, a contribution that profoundly affected the fabrication of botrytis wines in Hegyalja. But just what was his contribution? Did he actually ‘discover’ botrytis or ‘invent’ botrytis aszú wine? Not likely, since over one-hundred years had passed since the very overripe grapes were being used in Hegyalja. Was he the first person to ‘soak’ the mass of aszú-grape material before fermentation? Again, not likely, since this was a Balkan method known in Hegyalja long before his time … But, in the end, without any documentation, it seems destined always to remain guesswork.”

Sometimes legends are just legends after all … We can go back even further to see that “the first mention of Aszú grape wine is in 1571, in a property deal clearly demonstrating that the aszú grapes had been kept separate from the normal grapes in the vineyard of Mézes Mály,” writes Oz Clarke in The History of Wine in 100 Bottles. “And this would at the very least imply that the producers of Tokaji were the first in the world to harvest shrivelled and nobly rotten grapes on purpose – the Germans on the Rhine didn’t get the hang of purposefully nobly rotting their grapes until 1775.”

27/01/2025

Sometimes guests ask: and when we visit the Castle of Buda: well, once upon a time the Buda Castle was actually the walled city of Buda. itself..

24/01/2025

https://hungarytoday.hu/producers-from-tokaj-and-eger-triumph-at-prestigious-wine-grand-prix/

The members of the Hungarian Wine Writers' Circle awarded the Hungarian Wine Grand Prix in white and red categories after blind tasting.

13/01/2025

Discover Tokaj with a private guide! Tokaj wine region has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. Embark on a day trip to this astonishing place and learn about the origins of Tokaji aszu, the world's oldest botrytized wine. Visit Mád and Bodrogkeresztur, the most famous places beside Tokaj in the region. We invite you also for tasting the most famous wines of Hungary!

05/01/2025

A Winter’s Dream: Budapest at Blue Hour ❄️🌃✨🇭🇺

As snow gently blankets the city, Budapest transforms into a magical winter wonderland at blue hour. The historical buildings glow softly against the deepening twilight, their intricate facades and grand architecture illuminated by warm golden lights. The scene is a mesmerizing blend of serenity and splendor, with snowflakes glistening like diamonds on cobblestone streets and the Danube reflecting the shimmering brilliance of the city’s historic landmarks.

📸 https://www.instagram.com/markpozsonyi?igsh=MWdnNjhrMm1lMWE2Nw==

20/12/2024

HOLLÓKŐ, HUNGARY
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UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
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Köszönjük a fotót | Photo by
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20/12/2024

HOLLÓKŐ, HUNGARY
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UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
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Köszönjük a fotót | Photo by .filakovity
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14/12/2024

https://www.visithistoricbethlehem.com/event/christmas-city-village/2024-11-15/

09/12/2024

The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey or Territorial Abbey of Saint Martin on Mount Pannonhalma (lat. Archiabbatia or Abbatia Territorialis Sancti Martini in Monte Pannoniae) is a medieval building in Pannonhalma and is one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary. Founded in 996, it is located near the town, on top of a hill (282 m). Saint Martin of Tours is believed to have been born at the foot of this hill, Its sights include the Basilica with the Crypt (built in the 13th century), the Cloisters, the monumental Library with 360,000 volumes, the Baroque Refectory (with several examples of trompe-l'œil) and the Archabbey Collection (the second biggest in the country). Because of the exceptional architectural evolution of the abbey over its 1000-year history and its historical importance as an international cultural and religious center, the abbey and its surroundings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

18/11/2024

https://hungarytoday.hu/our-editorial-team-on-the-trail-of-the-tokaj-wine-in-china/

Tokaj wines are particularly popular among young people in China, who prefer to drink this Hungarian specialty as a party drink.

17/11/2024

the Royal Palace Experience
Take a tour outside and inside the Buda Castle to enjoy the Royal Palace experience at an affordable price. The package includes a short guided tour outside the Buda Castle courts, followed by a guided tour inside the recently restored opulent St Stephen’s Hall in the Royal Palace (live guide and headset included). The daily English tour is available in limited numbers, pre-booking is essential.

08/11/2024

Migration of cranes in Hortobágy

The migration of cranes (Grus grus) is a memorable late autumn experience. The number of cranes passing over the Hortobágy at the end of October can be as high as 85000.
This bird also has a special role in Hungarian culture and traditions, therefore it is especially important to preserve their feeding and resting sites where they can gather strength during their migration. Cranes do not tolerate disturbance, and need sufficient feeding grounds as well.

During the day the birds feed in the cultivated lands, picking up mainly corn seeds, but also catch small rodents and amphibians. Around noon they drink, then take a short rest near to the drinking site, in the afternoon continue feeding, then at sunset gather on the fishponds for the night - 20-30000 at the same time.

Cranes arrive from North Europe. Their most important breeding sites are in Sweden and Russia, but can be found in other Baltic states, in Poland and in Germany as well. Cranes once used to nest in Central Europe, but due to the deterioration of their preferred breeding sites, such as large and undisturbed wetlands, the breeding population disappeared from the region. Cranes most probably nested also in Hungary until the middle of the 19th century.

Cranes have been appreciated birds of Hungarian culture. Written history from the 16th century proves that cranes lived in households. The chicks were taken home and raised, and then kept for decoration and as sentinels: they are watchful guides and their loud cries were useful. Tradition says that the fortresses in the Hungarian Plain kept groups of cranes at the top of the walls, so that they notice enemies even in the darkness of the night. Cranes were sold on the markets, and their meat was eaten. The bones of the bird were used for carving different tools and instruments. The long feathers of the cranes were worn on the hats of shepherds with great pride.

Nowadays they can be best observed during autumn migration. In Europe cranes use a western and an eastern route. The cranes migrating on the eastern route have a rest in Estonia and Hungary (the western route leads to Spain and Portugal). Even 70-80000 cranes can gather in the Hortobágy region from October, then in the first week of November some groups start to move on to the southern part of the Hungarian Plain. Depending on the weather, they stay in Hungary for about 2 months, preparing themselves for the rest of their migration route to their wintering sites in Nothern Africa, Tunisia and Sudan. (In the southern part of the Hungarian Plain smaller flocks remain also for the winter. About 700-1000 individuals spend the entire summer here.)

For their preservation undisturbed feeding and resting sites must be ensured. Hunting can be the most important factor that makes cranes leave a certain resting place, therefore hunting activities in the region during crane migration should be totally banned. For their feeding, cranes need rather large fields with corn or fresh sowing, and also some undisturbed channels, fishponds or flooded areas for their midday drinking session. Farmers should be informed and supported in maintaining the land-use patterns and structures that allow the cranes to peacefully fill up their reserves in Hungary for the long way ahead of them before reaching the wintering sites.

02/11/2024

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2024/08/02/a-roman-road-sand-dunes-and-gold-mines-these-are-the-24-new-unesco-world-heritage-sites-fo

There are now 1,223 World Heritage Sites around the globe.

17/10/2024

Tokaj is known as the “king of wines” and the “wine of kings”. Our journey continues with guided tours of two authentic museums: the Tokaj Museum and the World Heritage Wine Museum.

Sip and Savor: Harvest Days in Tokaj T
The Tokaj-Hegyalja Harvest Days Festival is one of the oldest harvest events in Hungary.