DEAR READER
Trustfully, that this is not the first time you have visited our website!
The town of Vásárosnamény – the Heart of the Bereg – is located in the North-Eastern part of Hungary, in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, at the crossing of the Tisza, Szamos, Kraszna and Túr Rivers.
Our town is a district seat, the centre of the Bereg region.
One of the city's most outstanding attractions is the Museum of the Bereg, which showcases the unique archaeological, ethnographic values and history of the region. Since 2007, the renovated Tomcsányi Castle has been home to its tourist-recognized collection.
The catering capacity and hospitality of the city is remarkable even in the county. We have excellent restaurants and pleasant accommodations waiting for guests. Vásárosnamény and its surroundings contain a lot of natural and human-built environmental attractions, and I can calmly say that the residents are very kind and hospitable people.
It is an extremely honor for me to serve my hometown as a mayor since 2010. Of course, I have encountered many challenges and tasks during my work so far, but together with my colleagues we work on constantly and unbrokenly to create an even more liveable social, economic and natural environment in the Heart of the Bereg.
We take every opportunity to develop our city. One of our most important tasks is to help creating jobs so that the people of the city can really feel that their safety and prosperity is our top priority.
I ask you to visit our town even in the pandemic times in the near future, too!
I wish you a pleasant stay and enjoyable further browsing!
ABOUT VÁSÁROSNAMÉNY
Vásárosnamény is a very hospitable hick little town in the North-Eastern part of Hungary. It is located in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county at the crossing of four rivers: the Tisza, the Szamos, the Kraszna and the Túr. Thanks to its fortunate geographical location 3 other countries such as Ukraine, Romania and Slovakia are all easily reachable within a short distance. Chopping Hungary up by the Treaty of Trianon helped Vásárosnamény to become the turistical, cultural and economic center of the Bereg area. The logo of the town says: ‘’Vásárosnamény is the Heart of the Bereg.’’ Nowadays it is easy and fast to reach this town since the M3 highway ends here.
Tourism is not figured out right this time: the populationof the town has been living together with tourists for decades thanks to River Tisza. In Vásárosnamény everything can be found that water could provide for tourists:such as the sandy beach by the River Tisza, the Kraszna shore, which provides a unique place for events, fishing by the billabongs, refreshing at Atlantika Water and Slidepark or recreation in the medicinal water of Szilva Termal and Spa and various types of water sports and entertainment opportunities. The flood controlling dams run through the area of the Upper Tisza providing us with several hundred kilometres of bicycle route. These routes are safe and detached from traffic, during these tours, tourists have the chance to admire the natural and cultural sights of the Bereg. In June the visitors can be witnesses of a wonderful natural phenomenon, called the blossoming of the Tisza which is a creative name for the courting ballet and death of Europe’s largest may-fly.
Vásárosnamény is loyal to its historic roots but also a young and always developing town. Close to 1,5 thousand students attend the local primary and secondary schools, who have played a defining role in the life of the barely 40 year old town. The aim of the town’s development is to lure people back to their native place and help them pursue their happiness and prosperity. In the interest of effective environmental management and adaptation to climate change we have managed the innovation to contain energy saving and environmental solutions. Our town is outstanding in the execution of renewable energy sources (solar energy, heat-pump) promoting that we can now say 90% of Vásárosnamény’s public facilities are energy efficient. As the result of the diverse environment friendly, strategic urban development of the past few years we have succeeded to build bicycle routes and improve industrial estates. With the help of allowances our town turned greener which is part of a greater plan for the future, carbon reduction.
Finally, if you enjoy a peaceful and quiet small town, nature, water and most importantly to be treated kindly and feel safe then do not hesitate to visit us as we can offer you all of the above.
Let’s meet in the heart of the Bereg, Vásárosnamény.
BIKER'S TOURIMS
In Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, particularly in the Upper-Tisza region, close to 300 km of the flood-controlling dams have been renewed and built up during in the past few years and now function as bicycle routes. These make this area a paradise for bicyclists so the improvements in Vásárosnamény put more emphasis on maintaining complex services equally for locals and tourists such as offering brand-new rental bicycles, bicycle maps of the Szatmár-Bereg, well-trained biker tour guides, service-stations, fixed-times gastronomic bicycle tours and an inquiry office that is open all year long.
It is definitely not a coincidence that Vásárosnamény has received the ’’Biker Friendly Township’’ title, several times. Many companies also got the ’’Biker Friendly Workplace’’ honourable title in Vásárosnamény. Due to its geographical central location in the heart of the Bereg people have the chance to depart their rallyes in every direction. In the local Tourinform office there is an opportunity to borrow, new and modern bicycles so there is no need to bring your own. When using your own bike, you can have rest either the Tourinform office or the Heart of Bereg Rest Center, plus there are in other townships of the Bereg several formed service points for the guests. In emergency case, there are possibilities for repairing and transporting the bicyles.
The organizers of the travelling camp also discovered Vásárosnamény, as the Heart of Bereg Rest Center and Camping in Gergelyiugornya used to be station of the aquatic and byciclist travelling camp since the beginning. Every summer more than a thousand ciclysts and kayakers arrive here from different parts of the country.
We have managed to prove that national and international contests can be organized in Vásárosnamény. For years we have been hosting the Pentathlon Movement which is a national race and in 2021 Vásárosnamény will be the starting station of the Road Bicycle Racing Youth World Cup.
The Tourinform office who founded the Bikers of the Bereg, has been organizing fix dated and guided bicycle tours for years. From spring to late autumn they get on their way with the locals and joining tourists in order to introduce them the gastronomy and values of the Upper-Tisza region and the surrounding counties. Join our tours and become a member of this great group yourself!
WATER TOURISM
An eternal fight between human and water best describes this area. The River Tisza and its tributaries have been defined the destiny of the local for centuries.. At the same time they protect and grant us with life and fertile floodplains but at times they also destroy us.
Besides the Tisza, the Szamos and the Túr rivers are also oasises for the hikers either we decide to go on a hiking adventure alone, with friends or by an organized tour. According the chronicler Antal Szirmai in 1810 the main river of the Great Plain is Tisza, the so called, „Duke of the Rivers”- and this is not just by channce!Travelling by ship the Upper-Tisza area is without a doubt, the most spectacular and the most exciting part of the Tisza. Coming in from the Ukranian border the River Tisza is wild water like, rolling massive sized rocks then as we go down it turns into a blonde Tisza which is gentle, peaceful, quiet and carries floating sand.
The open beach in Gergelyiugornya, which has been won two paddles qualification, is a beloved place for water tourists because all the things needed can be found here: piers, ship trailers, lifeguard services, shops, sports equipment lenders, accomodations, clubs but also opportunities for bike renting to visit other attractions in the area.
Nowadays, the old camp at Tisza-beach, which has been completely renovated inside and outside, is now called the Heart of Bereg Resort and Camping, expecting visitors from spring to autumn. Guests can stay in cabins, furnished with 6 bunk beds, there is a spacious dining room and they can also enjoy an enormous, shadowy garden equipped with sport appliances. Furthermore, for the convenience of the visitors there are bicycle renting possibilities and places suitable for cooking and baking.
The backwaters of the rivers are rich in fish and many fishing associations offer day passes so people have the chance to get to know the beauty of whitewater fishing.
The advantage of water tourism is that it does not matter whether someone is old or young, wealthy or poor because anyone can enjoy boating,kayaking, canoeing and fishing. It also brings together people since there is only one thing needed which is love for the water. Surely, these are the reasons why more and more discover this kind of relaxation as the International Tisza Tour have been organised 52 times. There is no day left in the summer without landing by boat individually organized team or friend group
Discover Vásárosnamény from the water and you will realise: it is worth!
GASTRONOMY
I have to regret to inform the reader but there is no such thing as the gastronomy of Vásárosnamény. Some recipes originate from here but the dishes we make are dinamically similar to the histroric traditions of the Szatmár-Bereg region. With some changes we can get a whole new, more modern and healthier recipe.
The bottom line is that the flavors, savours, meals and drinks connect us with the earth and the sky. Just as from the acids and minerals burst out from the earth and as the light, winds, snow and rain come from the sky. The essence in the cookery of our ancestors is to preserve the message and the harmony of the elements.
Only a recipe is not enough to prepare a good meal! There is a significant know-how, that only the heart knows!
The cousine of the Szatmár-Bereg belongs to someone who is hardworking, lives in reason and saving but sacrifices in case of a celebration. Doesn’t make sacrifices for one’s apetite but for friends, guests, friendships, togetherness besides keeping the traditions with daring improvization. This way we can celebrate holidays and stop the everyday life. Our history and traditions are combined in our cousine, and through the dishes we guard and pass on the identity to our children. The Szatmár-Bereg should not only be seen but also experienced and tasted because in every bite of the meals and in every drop of the drinks there is legacy.
This region is fairly rich in game and fish: fallow and red deer, wild boar, rabbit and pheasant can be hunted in almost every hunting organisaton. The rivers and billabong have a plentiful fish population (catfish, pikeperch, bream). The visitors have the chance to participate in the rural life’s activities: in autumn there is plum picking, jam making but in winter there are the traditional pork meat processing (sausage, blood sausage and crackling making). On the menu of the local restaurants i in one hand there are meals based on regional products made by traditional technology, following the recipes of grandmothers and in the other hand there are classical dishes reinvented in order to live up to today’s expectations.
Here meals and drinks have such a significant value that a thematic route was created to promote and present them, called the Szatmár-Bereg Plum Route. People joining this tour are introduced not only the gastronomical products based on a special kind of plum,but the historical-cultural background of this region, and also the eventfully rich rivers!This give them an unforgottable experience and relaxation. The Plum Road offers two options based on the Szatmár-Bereg regions:The Little Plum Route from Penyige to Panyola and the Big Plum Route from Namény to Namény.
In Vásárosnamény there are people who carry on and introduce the ancient recipes with the rest of the world. The Lónyay Menyhért Babtist Trade School is the only institution in the entire Vásárosnamény and its agglomeration that offers vocational training within an educational system. The main field of the training is to educate pupils in the classes of the cookers, confectioners and the caterings. The specialist subject teachers are experienced professionals and beside this they possess a master title. The students accomplish outstanding achievements at the national and regional competitions.
Bangó Margit is a notable born of Vásárosnamény, who has been introducing us to the traditional Hungarian, Transylvanian and gypsy recipes through her cookbooks. In these the typical meals of Vásárosnamény can also be found such as stuffed cabbage roll and fishsoup.
Nowadays in the selection of the local restaurants guests have the ability to choose between old, traditional or new courses, qualitative Pálinka (national drink of Hungary), all of these show that it is worthy to visit Vásárosnamény!
CULTURE
Fishing, Hunting
Vásárosnamény is situated at the firth of 4 rivers: Tisza, Szamos, Túr and Kraszna . These rivers had a great impact on the lives of the local citizens.
Beside the rivers, backwaters are also have excellent fish polulation, therefore giving good fishing opportunity and forest are rich in games. Games -typifying this region -are exhibited in a Hunter Exhibition in the centre of Vásárosnamény in Hotel Hunor. www. hunorhotel.hu
Faith, Religion
Locals practise mainly Calvinist religion. Not only in the town but in the suburbs-Vitka, Gergelyiugornya- there are churches above signifying the characteristic attitude of people to religion.
The apple of Namény
In Vásárosnamény apple is the prime fruit. The type-specific apples, named naményian, beregian, sóvárian and red kenezien protected by their origin keep the value of this region.
Just like plums, apples are also proccessed as brandies and in further many ways in the local conversion factory .
The lives of people in Bereg
The Bereg Museum has a monumental ethnographical collection, the most remarkable part of it is the original cross stiching collection of Bereg. Fretworks with folk art values, tools used for processing hemps, The Easter Egg collection consisting of 700 parts, the pieces of art mourning , the collection of pottery consisting also from 700 parts must be mentioned, too. These can be visited in a spectacular showroom.The collection of artistic and pig-iron devices are also nationally famous. It’s historical and archeological datas includes more than thousand year’s treasure. Its’ exhibition and school-historical collection consist of such materials and objects, which can not be found in any other museums. Being the part of the European School-Historical Collection did not happen only by chance.
For further information go to:www.beregimuzeum.hu
Cross stich in Bereg
The decoration technique with cross stich was characterized the whole Upper-Tisza area.Locals were producing hemps themselves for using it as yarns in the stiching and weawing processes.Regarding to their function they are quite different. People were stiching kind of patterns wchich they were really touched by. Shapes represented mainly the natural habitat of locals , therefore flower symbols has being used the most, such as: rose, tulip, wiburnum, rosemary, carnation and lily. Among the plant-based representation grapes, red-currant, acorn and tree of life motifs can be found. Talking about animal reprepresentation bird symbols has being used mostly, e.g.:pigeons in pair, peacock or mavis, but there are stag mofifs, too. On the oldest textiles two coloures has being used: red and blue, but occcasionally the two were used separately.
This technique is still part of the lives of people in Bereg. An association came off in order to transmit the art of embroidery for the posterity. More information about the Association of Beregszem: https://www.facebook.com/beregszem.egyesulet/?ref=page_internal.
The Art of Fretwork
The professional artistic work has been in existence of the city life since decades, more artificiers in Vásárosnamény has the honour of folk handicrafts. The artist represent on their work the lives of countrymen, like typical situations and jobs with microrealistical precision in addition with technical knowledge on higher levels using individual scaling .In the yearly organized fretwork camp with 40 years of tradition artist are working on framing, carving, polishing, sawning and burning out wood subjects, where interested people can also join and acquire the skill of fretwork. While walking in the city you can jump into fretworks on the plaza signing the handprint of talented fretwork artists.
Liszt Ferenc Chorus
The chorus was formed in 1965, functioning as one of the oldest choir in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county. The chorus is taking part in regional and territorial competitions and it also a consisting member of the the cultural , sprititual and profane life in Vásárosnamény and other little villages in this region. The chorus has a Gold graduation nowadays, which has been won at the Second Kállai Choir Competition in 2010.
Events
The so-called Zoárd days is the biggest event in this area.The- two- and- three day –long event offers some entertaining possibility for every range.
For further informatin:www.zoardnap.hu
The time of Advent is a four-week-long set of performances, its aim is looking forward to the celebration together. It consist of donation, several concerts, arts and crafts programmes and many performances for children, too.
For further information: www.vasarosnameny.hu/advent
It is organized in every second year with the co-opertaion of the twin city called Beregszász , concentrating primarily on the local culture and with some additional sport events.