Szabadszállás is best explored through its churches, collections and memorial sites. Visitors wishing to focus on culture can combine architectural history with local life and connections to Petőfi. Nearby, birdwatching and a hike of around three hours through sand dunes are also options. This makes it possible to plan a visit with different focuses: local history in town, and nature observation or hiking in the surrounding area.
Church Architecture and Petőfi Memorials
The Reformed Church of Szabadszállás is a Baroque building; its present structure was built between 1747 and 1759. The tower was erected in 1771. An oval commemorative plaque above the tower entrance recalls, in its inscription, the construction of the church by the Reformed community in 1770 with the permission of Maria Theresa. A different architectural detail takes centre stage at the Catholic church: it was completed in 1929 to plans by the architect Fridrich Lajos, and its floor plan was adapted to the shape of the plot. The style, dated structural elements, inscription and shape of the plot each offer a distinct perspective on the building’s history.
The Petőfi sites connect a family history with later forms of commemoration. The Sándor Petőfi Monument marks the former home of István Petrovics and Mária Hrúz, who settled in Szabadszállás in 1818. A bust by Lajos Páli, installed in 1969, stands in the garden of the Sándor Petőfi Municipal Library. The Tóth-Sándor Local History Collection uses twelve panels to show the years the Petrovits family spent in Szabadszállás and Sándor Petőfi’s connection to the town.
Collections and Public Memorials
The Tóth-Sándor Local History Collection also illustrates everyday and material culture from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. On display are household objects, clothing and tools used in crop farming and livestock raising; traditional crafts are also presented. Another ethnographic exhibition is housed in Dörmögő House, the former gatekeeper’s lodge of Imre Pőcze. The present-day memorial house displays period furniture and household objects. It is the only József Attila memorial site in Bács-Kiskun County. It was inaugurated on 11 April 2005, on the poet’s 100th birthday, as part of the József Attila commemorative year.
The monuments also differ in their purpose and form. The monument to those who fell in the First World War was erected in 1922 in honour of local residents killed in the war and bears 255 names. The monument to the victims of the Second World War was unveiled in the town centre in 1992; it bears more than 200 names of military and civilian victims. A commemorative plaque honours Pál Rozsnyai, a hussar first lieutenant who deserted from the imperial army in 1848 and later became chief magistrate of Szabadszállás. The European Union Memorial Park in the town centre was established by the town to commemorate its accession on 1 May 2004.
Nature Destinations Nearby
The Upper Kiskunság saline lakes are located near Szabadszállás and Akasztó. Their extensive, shallow, open waters provide suitable habitats for numerous waterbirds. Near the boundary of Fülöpszállás, the route to Kelemen-szék offers birdwatching with binoculars from observation towers, as well as a walk along a nature trail with botanical and other natural-history features. The Fehérhegy area, near the boundary of Fülöpháza, offers a different experience: a hike of around three hours through sand dunes. Comparing the options helps with planning: Kelemen-szék combines observation with a nature trail, while Fehérhegy pairs a hike with a dune landscape.
Discover more destinations: Szalkszentmárton, Tass and Apostag.
Return to the regional travel overview: Kunszentmiklósi.
