Zirc, an Historic Hungarian Town
The Centre of the Bakony Hills in Western Hungary with Arboretum
Explore both history and nature in the town of Zirc, centre of the Bakony Hills in Hungary, and its surrounding villages with their castles and walking trails.
Zirc, in the picturesque Bakony Hills, west of the Balaton, has everything: interesting museums, an arboretum, and a pleasant forest surrounding the centre. It makes a good centre for exploring the equally interesting villages in the surrounding coutnryside.
Town History
The township dates from before the reign of King Béla III, who founded the Cistercian monastery in 1182. The pillars of this first abbey building can be still be seen – a reminder of Medieval times. The village was sacked during the Turkish invasion, and it wasn’t until the 18th century, when Germans settled in the area, that it came to life once more.
The Church
The church, with its 45 metre steeple, took twenty years to build - 1732 to 1752 - and one can admire the marvellous workmanship of the pulpit and stalls of the chancel from the 18th century. Anton Maulbertsch finished the altar paintings in 1745.
The Monastery
The adjoining monastery is now home to a number of interesting museums, including the Natural history museum, whose exhibits feature local history, costumes and customs, fauna and flora, as well as geological specimens.
Antal Reguly Library
One of the most interesting of the many rooms is the Antal Reguly library. Reguly was born in Zirc in 1819 and became fascinated with the origins of the Hungarian language. He became a pioneer of research into its history. The library holds over 60,000 works, the country’s richest provincial collection, and includes rare books and ancient manuscripts. Also notice the lovely wooden furnishings: the bookcases, tables, and the inlaid floor. They were produced by a local cabinet maker, Mihály Wild, in the 1850s.
The Arboretum
The Arboretum, where ancient giant native trees mingle with many rare plants introduced from all parts of the world, had been a game park for centuries, and the Abbey started a botanical garden in 1737. The arboretum is over twenty hectares, and the work of collecting and planting was done over a two hundred-year period. There’s also a pleasant lake that reflects the cloudy blue sky.
In the cool, fresh autumn air, stroll along the paths and meadows. Some of the trees had lost all their leaves, but you can still admire the stark patterns of the bare branches against the sky, and the blazing reds, golds and greens of the trees still in leaf.
Bakonybél
If you’d like to do something a little more energetic than a stroll around the Arboretum, make your way to Bakonybél, which is approximately 15 kms west of Zirc. This pleasant village and resort centre, at the foot of the 713 metre high Mount Köris, the highest peak in the Bakony range, is the starting point of several walks into the hills, and includes a trail to the top of the peak. The village itself also has a Benedictine Church and Monastery, and an Ethnographic museum, which is particularly interesting, as it contains objects used by the famous wood carvers of Zirc.
Csesznek
Another interesting hike takes you to Csesznek. The ruined castle at the peak of a rather steep hill is the highlight of this tiny village. The castle, which had no military importance, was thought to have been built in the 13th century, and in the 17th century it was taken over by the Eszterházy family who turned it into a chateau. It was badly damaged by an earthquake but it remains one of the most photogenic castle sites in the country. The climb to the ruins also gives you panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and forest.
