The church, the small-leaved lime tree in the churchyard and several hiking trails offer different perspectives on Petrikeresztúr, from architectural history to planning a hike. Local trail information varies according to the route, starting point and length.
Church and Local History
A church already stood on the site of the Szent Kereszt Felmagasztalása-templom in 1275, but it later burned down. The Roman Catholic church in Petrikeresztúr was built in the 15th century in the Gothic style; by 1735, it had already been restored in the Baroque style. The history of the church site therefore reaches further back than the Gothic building phase.
The building is freestanding and faces east. It has a single-nave body, a polygonal chancel and a buttressed tower in front of the west façade. A single-nave plan indicates one main nave; a polygonal chancel has a multi-sided end. These terms help distinguish the plan, chancel and tower as separate architectural features.
The Stations of the Cross also have their own historical context: Márkos Attila created them from clay in the church in 1973 in memory of his brother, Márkos Béla.
Small-Leaved Lime Tree and Hiking Trails
A small-leaved lime tree stands in the churchyard, with a trunk circumference of 460 cm; its age is estimated at about 350 years. The circumference is stated precisely, while the age is explicitly an estimate.
A report published in 2020 describes a 2.5 km educational trail with ten information boards that runs through the village. If you plan to walk this trail, check its current route before setting out. A 2020 report also places the start of the Pataktól patakig educational trail in Petrikeresztúr. The Kéktúra hiking trail passes through the village, according to a local report from the same year.
Another specific distance is the 4.1 km RP-DDK-36 section between Becsvölgye and Petrikeresztúr. This figure describes the named section and provides a reference for estimating how long the hike will take. Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Ceramics Classes Mentioned in a 2020 Report
At the time of a 2020 report, Págyi Zsóka, a ceramic artist living in the Győrfiszeg part of the village, offered classes for interested participants at the Tuttu Mikka-Makka Association’s ceramics studio. If you are interested in these classes, ask in advance whether they are still available and how to arrange participation.
Regional Overview: Zala
In the broader travel destination of Zala, the Zalai Borvidék extends across the slopes and plateaus of the Zalai-dombság and the northwestern slopes of the Keszthelyi-hegység. It includes two wine-growing districts and 38 settlements. In Zalaszántó, the Kotsy-vízimalom has a working 390 cm overshot waterwheel mechanism on display. The wine landscape and watermill technology offer further regional topics that can be considered separately from Petrikeresztúr’s local features.
Discover more destinations: Szentkozmadombja, Pusztaszentlászló, Nagypáli, Pusztaederics, Lickóvadamos, Baktüttös, Hottó, Csöde.
Back to the regional travel overview: Zalaegerszegi.
