Gyöngyös: Church, Monastery Library and Mátra Museum

Gyöngyös offers culture-minded travellers three different points of interest: the Szent Bertalan-templom, the Magyar Ferencesek Gyöngyösi Műemlékkönyvtára and the Mátra Museum in Orczy Castle. Together, these themes range from a church and monastery library to a live-animal exhibition at the museum. When choosing a holiday apartment, your own travel plans are therefore the first thing to consider: would you like to focus on historical and religious culture, or would you also like to make room for the museum? These interests can help you shape your search for accommodation to suit your stay.

Church and Monastery Library

The Szent Bertalan-templom stands at the edge of Fő tér. The Magyar Ferencesek Gyöngyösi Műemlékkönyvtára is located in the church and monastery complex at Barátok tér and is the oldest Franciscan monastery library in the country. The church and library offer two different points of connection to cultural history: the church is situated by Fő tér, while the library brings book history into the picture through its Franciscan tradition and status as the oldest of its kind. If you are interested in churches, monasteries or historic libraries, you can give these themes different levels of priority when planning your trip.

The Mátra Museum in Orczy Castle

The Mátra Museum has been housed in Orczy Castle since 1957. A live-animal exhibition has been part of the museum since May 2015 and is run as a zoo. The zoo covers two hectares. If you would like to include this exhibition in your plans, check the museum’s current visitor information before your visit.

Gyöngyös thus brings together a range of cultural interests: religious history, Franciscan book culture and a museum focused on animals. If you are travelling with your family, you can decide together which of these themes appeal most to you during your stay. This helps you tailor your search for a holiday apartment to the kind of trip you have in mind, without expecting every accommodation to meet the same needs.

Heves County: Nature and culture across the wider destination

The wider destination of Heves County offers further landscape and cultural attractions. The 16,114-hectare Hevesi Füves Puszták Landscape Protection Area lies in the southern part of Heves County. It was designated in 1993 and reached its present extent after expansions in 2005 and 2008.

The 6.5-kilometre Ilona Valley Nature Trail along the Ilona stream passes geological features of the Eastern Mátra Mountains and traces of former ore mining. The Pély-Ludas Nature Trail offers a different focus on nature: it introduces visitors to the grassland habitats of the Hevesi Plain, including salt meadows, marshes, bodies of water, scrub, semi-natural woodland and forests. Wildlife and the roller population are also among its topics. This contrast offers a clear guide for planning your trip according to your interests: one trail follows geology and former ore mining, while the other focuses on habitats and wildlife.

Heves County also offers activities and cultural attractions. The section of the Országos Kéktúra in Heves County includes the ascent to Kékestető, Hungary’s highest point; winter sports are possible on Kékestető in winter. In the Szépasszony Valley, the wider destination includes Eger’s largest contiguous area of wine cellars. Wine culture and its associated gastronomy are among the area’s most important tourist attractions. Heves County’s cultural heritage also includes the Hevesi szőttes, a textile tradition associated with Heves, Mátraderecske and Bodony.

Discover more destinations: Domoszló, Markaz, Mátraszentimre, Atkár, Kisnána, Gyöngyösoroszi, Abasár, Gyöngyöstarján.

View the wider travel guide: Gyöngyös.