A military cemetery with more than 2,000 people buried there, a Reformed church with a ceiling painted with stars, and a disused Festetics Chapel give Böhönye three distinct historical points of interest. The themes range from remembrance of the dead of the Second World War to church architecture of the 18th century. If you are looking for a hotel in Böhönye, you can choose the focus of your stay according to whether you are interested in cemetery history, Reformed church architecture or the heritage of the Festetics family.

Military Cemetery: Graves and Remembrance

The military cemetery lies on the southern outskirts of Böhönye, at the intersection of main roads 61 and 68. The road junction provides a clear reference point for the cemetery’s location. As the Volksbund’s collective cemetery and burial site in Somogy County, it is the final resting place of more than 2,000 people who died in the Second World War.

At the far end, granite crosses mark the graves. Two names of people buried there are inscribed on each side of the crosses; the graves of unknown war dead are also marked with crosses. At the memorial and along the cemetery path, granite plaques bear the names of soldiers whose remains can no longer be recovered. The design thus distinguishes between marked graves and the commemoration by name of those whose remains could not be recovered.

In the middle of the cemetery are a flower bed and a stone monument with a bilingual inscription. The military cemetery opened to the public on October 2, 1993. If you are planning a visit, check current visiting arrangements in advance.

Reformed Church and Festetics Chapel

The Reformed Church of Böhönye stands set back from the settlement’s main street, within a block of houses. In 1787, Festetics Lajos initiated and funded the construction of a stone church for the local Reformed congregation. Its ceiling has a blue ground painted with golden-yellow stars. Its location, architectural history and ceiling design offer different points of reference for understanding the church in the settlement and its history.

In the western part of Böhönye, on the grounds of the former Illés-major, stands the Szent-Illés Church, also known as the Festetics Chapel. Between 1760 and 1765, the Festetics family had a Baroque chapel built at Illésmajor in honour of the prophet Elijah. The chapel therefore predates the Reformed stone church of 1787. The chapel is no longer in use.

How Böhönye Fits into Southern Lake Balaton

The wider destination of Southern Lake Balaton offers a different focus alongside Böhönye’s local history: In 2009, the Zselici Tájvédelmi Körzet was awarded International Dark Sky Park status because of its low levels of light pollution. The Zselici Csillagpark was established in the heart of the protected area. This regional focus on the landscape and night sky differs thematically from Böhönye’s memorial and church sites, offering another perspective on the wider destination.

Discover more destinations: Nagyszakácsi, Kéthely, Somogyszentpál, Balatonszentgyörgy, Somogysimonyi, Nikla, Varászló, Marcali.

Go to the wider travel overview: Marcali.