Békés is the quiet corner of the country. Rivers wind through the flat landscape like silver ribbons. It is a place for peace and long drives. You will see ancient burial mounds rising from the fields. The roads are straight and lead you deep into the heart of the farmland. This is the best place to see the traditional life of the Hungarian countryside.
Visit the brick castle in Gyula for a trip back in time. The thermal baths next door offer a warm soak in the park. In Békéscsaba, the smell of smoked sausage fills the air. It is the best place to stock your cooler for the road. Local markets are packed with jars of thick honey and home-made sweets. You can find handmade crafts that have been made the same way for generations.
Watch for rare birds in the tall grass. The Körös-Maros park is a wild sanctuary. You will meet friendly locals who still keep old traditions alive. It is a trip for those who love the path less traveled. The silence of the plains is the best soundtrack for your journey. Sunset over the flat horizon is a sight you will never forget.
Békés (county) highlights
- Gyula Brick Castle Explore the only gothic brick fort left in the plains which sits right next to a lake full of white swans. The thick walls stay cool in the sun and the view from the tower shows the flat land for miles.
- Szarvas Arboretum Walk through a massive garden of rare trees from all over the world that sits on the bank of a quiet river. You can see a tiny model of the whole country with moving trains and ships.
- Körös River Backwater Rent a small boat to paddle through the quiet green tunnels of trees that hang over the slow river water. It is a hidden world of birds and fish far away from any busy roads.
- Mezőhegyes Stud Farm Visit a royal horse farm from the eighteen hundreds where the stone stables look like grand palaces. The white horses are famous across Europe and the park is full of old oak trees.
- Orosháza Glass Museum Stop in the city of glass to see how masters blow red hot sand into beautiful vases and birds. The museum shows the long history of the local craft and has many glowing displays.
- Békéscsaba Sausage Hall Taste the spicy red peppers and cured meats that make this region famous for its rich food. The market is full of local farmers selling goods made from very old family recipes.
- Vésztő Mágor Mounds Climb the giant earth mounds where people built a monastery on top of a stone age village long ago. It is a quiet spot in the middle of the fields with a small museum of old tools.
- Wenckheim Palace See a grand house with a hundred windows and a tall tower that looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. The park around the ruin is quiet and full of birds nesting in the old trees.
- Dévaványa Bustard Reserve Look for the giant Great Bustard birds which are the heaviest flying birds in the world on these wide plains. The open fields are a wild paradise for nature lovers and bird watchers.
- Gyopárosfürdő Lake Swim in a lake of liquid gold where the mineral water is famous for helping the body relax and heal. The park has many pools and a wooden tower that looks out over the water.
The local Four
History of Békés (county)
Békés is a quiet realm of water and earth where the landscape was shaped by the slow pulse of the Körös rivers. In the Bronze Age, nearly four thousand years ago, mysterious Tell settlements grew into giant earth mounds as generations of people built their homes on top of the ruins of the old. These mounds still rise from the flat plains like ancient pyramids, guarding the secrets of the first farmers who tilled this black soil.
The middle ages brought a different kind of strength, seen in the 15th century gothic brick castle of Gyula. Built from the clay of the river banks, it was one of the few forts in the east that could withstand a long siege. The lords of this era turned the marshes into a network of fish ponds and hunting grounds, creating a wealthy island of safety in the middle of the wild wet plains. This rich watery history is the soul of an Eastern Hungary river drive.
In the 1700s, the region became a pioneer of modern agriculture and horse breeding. They founded the royal stud at Mezőhegyes, creating a town that looked like a military park with grand stone stables and perfect rows of oaks. This era turned the wild marshes into the breadbasket of the nation. Today, the region is a sanctuary for white storks and rare birds, where the slow rivers and the spicy scent of local sausage remind you of a time when the earth provided everything.