Tállya

Once upon a time, when Gods and giants from fairy tales were fighting with each other, the Gods attacked giants in devastating battles, deprived them of their huge hunches, and placed these hunches on the edge of the Hungarian plain. Later on fairies moved to the Tokay Mountain, but the spewing mountain caused a lot of trouble and sorrow to the inhabitants, especially the fairy couples in love. Once one of the young male fairies fell in the crater, and his love was looking for him in vain, he wasn’t found. She couldn’t stop crying – her sorrowful tears were absorbed by the vine stocks and, according to the legend, that’s why the Tokay wine is so sweet and has the colour of the sun. So much for fairy tales – the area and the wine owe their fame to the Council in Trident, where György Draskovics served a wine from Tállya for lunch to Pope Pius IV in 1562. The Pope shouted "…patrem sanctum talia vina decent!", i.e. “Tállya wine should be on the Pope’s table” in delight. Tállya is located on the South-western edge of the Zemplén Mountain, in the valley of the Szerencs Creek full of branches; as archaeological finds prove, the valley has been populated for thousands of years. Visitors are welcome in the village of mornings filled with bird song and hospitable people by fresh air smelling of dried grapes, vine stocks meandering on the mountainsides and chestnut tree alleys. Walking among the historic buildings on the main square you wouldn’t think that there are long cellars entangling the village under our feet, which could tell us a lot about the past – once these underground networks were not only used by messengers on a secret mission, but also to protect the inhabitants in case of danger. Some descriptions state that the underground level starting from Boldogkováralja and connecting Tállya with the Sárospatak Castle was so wide that the soldiers-messengers travelled in it with horse carriages. It must be true as underground levels spacious enough for a truck to turn still exist here. The Reformed church was built in Baroque style, while the foundation of the Catholic church was laid in the Middle Ages. Another significant building is the Lutheran church, modestly hiding under the campanile – it is the church where Lajos Kossuth is said to have been baptized. The baptismal font kept in the original condition still reminds us of this famous event. Passing by the wooden sculptures portraying moments of grape processing, we get to the phoenix bird symbolizing the geographical centre of Europe, as well as the famous rock and mineral exhibition under the weeping willow. The unique collection was gathered by György Encsy – it offers an insight into the ancient history of the flora and fauna of the Zemplén Mountain in the form of stones. Apart from cultural values we offer numerous free-time activities. Those who love making trips will be able to delight in beautiful landscapes. Our village is surrounded by mysterious castles and romantic landscapes with meandering narrow-gauge railways and silent mountainsides. Coming back from an outing, visitors are awaited by friendly and hospitable landlords with full-bodied wines, delicious foods and comfortable accommodation. Tállya offers adventures for those looking for traditions as well, as we are proud of our excellent wood carvers, embroiderers, coopers and well-known representatives of Hungarian folk music. The bravest can not only have a look at what they do, but can try these traditional professions themselves; during grape harvest they can try what everyday life is like for the local people, and then can go home with a memorable experience, hoping to return to this calm area surrounded by the hunches of the fairy-tale giants soon. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TÁLLYA: WWW.TALLYA.HU