Church and local history give Szakcs a distinct cultural and historical focus. The Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross stands on a hill in the center of Szakcs, in an enclosed garden. If you would like to include sacred architectural history in your travel plans, the town offers a specific local point of interest.
Church and Church Garden
The predecessor church at this site was probably built in the late 13th or early 14th century, with pointed-arch windows. In 1544, it was set on fire by the Ottomans. The present church and its history thus form different chapters in the sacred architectural history of Szakcs.
Historical dates are also visible in the church garden: a Trinity column dating from 1873 stands there. The enclosing wall contains Stations of the Cross dating from 1916. Together, the column and the stations point to different periods and forms of religious remembrance; the stations are built directly into the garden’s boundary wall.
Local History and Roman Heritage
Szakcs regained its market-town status 42 years after it had previously acquired it, along with the right to hold four national fairs. The status and market rights are part of the town’s history; the four fairs should be understood as a historical right.
Another historical point of interest in the surrounding area is a significant Roman fortress that once stood about seven kilometers from the present-day village. The approximate distance refers to present-day Szakcs; the fortress adds an older historical connection to the local focus on church and town history.
Tolna as a Broader Theme
The broader destination of Tolna offers additional themes. Tamási Thermal Bath features a sauna world, leisure pools and medicinal water. As facilities and opening arrangements may change, check the latest information before visiting.
The Wosinsky Mór Museum is in Szekszárd. It is open to visitors daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Mondays; opening hours may differ on public holidays. If you plan to visit the museum, it is a good idea to check the hours in advance and take public holidays into account separately.
Also in Szekszárd is the Babits Mihály Memorial House: it is located in the more than two-hundred-year-old Kelemen House and is a literary memorial site. Pipo Castle in the broader destination of Tolna was built by Filippo Scolari, who came from Florence. Both places complement the church history of Szakcs with other cultural and historical interests, without repeating the same local focus.
For nature enthusiasts, the Pacsmag Lakes offer another point of difference within the broader destination of Tolna. They are an important Hungarian habitat for the strictly protected Ferruginous Duck (cigányréce). Nature, literary history, a museum and a thermal bath are thus found alongside Szakcs’s local points of interest in church history.
Choose the Focus of Your Trip
When choosing your destination, you can distinguish between two scales: Szakcs offers a specific local connection to the church, its enclosed garden and local history. If you would also like to include a thermal bath, museum, literary heritage or protected nature in your travel plans, you can consider the broader destination of Tolna as a wider thematic framework.
Discover more destinations: Kaposszekcső, Döbrököz, Kapospula and Dombovar.
Back to the broader travel overview: Dombóvári.
