Nyírtass – the Tas tradition, church art and nature

Local history surrounding Tas

Local tradition and written accounts trace the name Nyírtass back to Tas, a Hungarian military leader from the era of the Conquest of the Carpathian Basin. A bronze equestrian statue of Tas vezér makes this story behind the name visible in the townscape. It stands on a high stone plinth in the square in front of the church hill, in the leafy park between the Reformed Church and the community centre. The monument was erected in 2001.

The Reformed Church and its construction phases

The history of the Reformed Church can be read in its several architectural layers. After much of the building collapsed in the 18th century, the church was extended into a hall church, incorporating the Romanesque chancel. During renovation work in 1970, medieval entrance and window openings were brought to light. On the side wall of the nave nearer the chancel, layered fragments of Gothic wall paintings were uncovered during restoration investigations.

The organ gallery also offers specific architectural details: it is located to the left of the entrance in the church’s flat-ceilinged nave. The white-painted gallery is supported by simply carved wooden columns. Its projecting section of the balustrade features a cut-out lute motif from the 1860s. Together with the Romanesque chancel and medieval openings, these details create a layered picture in which different periods have left their mark.

Nature and local product history

The Nyírtassi védett terület is a locally significant protected natural area in Nyírtass, covering 100 hectares. Thus, alongside its architectural history, the town has its own natural feature. As you plan, you can weigh these different themes: do you place greater emphasis on local history and church architecture, or on the connection with a protected natural area?

Another local facet is the fruit growing carried out by the company Magyar Talléros since 1996. In 2010, the company established a visitor distillery on the outskirts of Nyírtass. It markets the fruit grown there as Pálinka under the name MAGYAR TALLÉROS PÁLINKA. This adds a specific product story connected with fruit growing in Nyírtass to the town’s local and architectural history.

Further highlights in the wider travel destination

Elsewhere in the wider destination of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, other towns offer different historical points of interest. Vaja’s Renaissance Vay Castle houses the Vay-Ádám Museum Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob was built between 1880 and 1885 in the French Gothic style by former Prime Minister Andrássy Gyula, to plans by Alpár Ignác. The region therefore offers a museum collection in a Renaissance castle and a late-19th-century castle, appealing to different cultural and historical interests.

The scale of the natural areas also differs: near Tiszadob, a nature reserve covers 1,000 hectares of oxbow lakes, floodplain forests and grassland. Between 80 and 90 pairs of herons nest in the Tölgyes Forest. By comparison, the protected area in Nyírtass is considerably smaller, at 100 hectares. If nature is part of your travel planning, you can therefore choose between a local protected area and the larger landscape around Tiszadob, with its variety of habitats.

Explore more destinations

Explore more destinations: Levelek, Ófehértó, Baktalórántháza.

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