For travellers interested in architectural history and traditional customs, Bóly offers two distinct points of interest: the Batthyány–Montenuovo Mausoleum and the Emmausz-Járás on Easter Monday. The mausoleum can be described in specific terms through its construction date, patron and architectural styles; the other is part of the annual cycle of traditions and leads to the cellar village surrounding Bóly. These offer different perspectives from which to explore the town’s cultural highlights.
Architecture and Exhibition History
The Batthyány–Montenuovo Mausoleum was commissioned in 1879 by Batthyány Julianna, the wife of Montenuovo Vilmos. The building is designed in the Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic styles. Neo-Romanesque and Neo-Gothic draw on different medieval architectural traditions; both influences come together in the mausoleum. The precise date and the named patron give this building a clearly defined history of origin.
A local history and ethnographic exhibition opened on 15 March 2001 on the upper floor of a former granary on the Batthyány estate. The granary was built in 1752. The two dates mark different milestones: 1752 is the year the granary was built, while 2001 is the year the exhibition opened. The two subject areas also have different focuses. Local history looks at the development of a place, while ethnography explores ways of life and customs. Alongside the mausoleum, the exhibition’s history thus offers another way to explore Bóly’s cultural heritage.
The Emmausz-Járás and the Castle Park
The Emmausz-Járás is a folk custom more than 100 years old, originally associated with the German community of Bóly. On Easter Monday, families head to the cellar village surrounding Bóly with relatives and guests. The custom is tied both to a specific point in the calendar and to a particular destination. If you are interested in this tradition, you can consider Easter Monday an important factor when choosing when to travel.
An ecological survey last revised in 2013 described considerable pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the Castle Park. This adds a different perspective on the area to the themes of architectural history and traditional customs: here, the park is presented as a space used by walkers and cyclists.
More to explore in the wider destination of Baranya
Other places in the wider destination of Baranya broaden the range of themes to include culture, nature and food and drink. In Pécs, the Early Christian Necropolis of Sopianae includes decorated tombs dating from the 4th century. They were built as underground burial chambers with above-ground memorial chapels and adorned with richly detailed Christian wall paintings. The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter offers a different focus: its exhibitions include “Golden Age of Zsolnay”, “Pink Exhibition” and an exhibition on the history of the family and factory. Children can enjoy outdoor playgrounds, an interactive lab, a planetarium, the Bóbita Puppet Theatre, a ceramic painting workshop and classes at the Hercules Workshop. The publicly accessible outdoor area of the cultural quarter is free to enter and use during opening hours. Check the opening hours before your visit.
Siklós Castle is one of Hungary’s best-preserved military complexes and also one of the country’s most significant Renaissance buildings. Modernising the museum wing made the Gothic section, which had previously been inaccessible to visitors, accessible to the public. The Kikerics Panorama Trail offers a different architectural perspective: it allows visitors to move safely along the edge of the cliff while protecting the park’s plant life from trampling. The “Art in Nature” programme at the Nagyharsány Sculpture Park includes a guided tour.
The Ős-Dráva Visitor Centre near Szaporca brings together nature and agriculture. It offers an interactive exhibition, a demonstration area for agriculture with practical farming activities, and three themed educational trails. These share information about traditional farming, the Ős-Dráva Programme and wildlife along the Drava. The agricultural area features native Hungarian domestic animals, including Hungarian Grey cattle, Mangalica pigs, Hucul horses, and old breeds of sheep and poultry. Facilities along the wilderness trail by the Old Drava include a birdwatching and bird-ringing station, a viewpoint, a photo hide, a covered activity area and several rest stops.
For wine and food, Villány’s cellar row offers a different experience: visitors can go from cellar to cellar throughout the year to sample wines and tasty dishes. The wider destination of Baranya therefore offers a choice of nature and regional tasting experiences as well as architectural and exhibition history.
Discover more destinations: Majs, Erdősmárok, Dunaszekcső, Somberek, Hassagy, Bár, Kölked, Szederkény
Go to the overview of the wider destination: Mohácsi.
