3/B Ancient Villages and Stately Homes; full day tour
Among the gentle rolling hills of Cserhát some villages are preserved as they were established some nine hundred years ago. The most genuine of them, Hollókő – protected by the Unesco as a world-heritage site – took its name ’’Ravenrock”, from the stronghold of robber-knights arising over the village.
Interrapting our journey, we will first stop to visit the Forgách Mansion at Szécsény and driving up to Hollókő after a few miles we slowly move back in time.
Upon arrival to this village we will learn about the life of Hungarian peasantry and see heritage of traditional lifestyle dominant in this province until World War II.. After a refreshing walk among the wooden-built medieval type houses – for the sake of new generation city folks see villages in the motion picture ’’Lord of the Rings” – we taste local specialties and drive into the reality of XIXth century tycoons and magnates of the old kingdom whose welfare was based on several hundreds of such villages as Hollókő.
For the afternoon we plan to visit the Grassalkovich Mansion ( also known as the Royal Palace of Gödöllő ) appealing as well for the myth about Queen Elisabeth who stayed there many times or we could also visit the Schossberger Castle at Tura showing the ambition of hard-working Jewish merchants to integrate into the highest layer of Austro-Hungarian aristocracy.
The Schossberger Castle is badly neglected but beautiful in its ruins as well.
Lack of elevators at these mansions may be a problem for someone and the streets of Hollókő are again paved in cobble stone. Otherwise, it is just a relaxing excursion through the countryside that has a special flavour.
