Szakcs: Church Hill and History
Accommodation in Szakcs
Szakcs can be understood through a church history that comes to life in a specific place: the Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross stands on a hill in the town center, in a walled garden. The site’s special features include both the history of a predecessor church and dated memorials in the church garden. Anyone interested in buildings and local history will find a clear focus for planning a trip here.
File:Szakcs, Golgota-szoborcsoport 2020 02.jpg
Photo: Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Church, Garden, and Dated Memorials
The Trinity Column in the church garden dates from 1873. Stations of the Cross dating from 1916 are set into the surrounding wall. The two dates relate to different parts of the site: the column stands in the garden, while the stations are built into the wall. Together with the church’s location on the hill, these details make the site more tangible than a mere list of historical dates.
A Long and Eventful History
The predecessor church at this site was probably built with pointed-arch windows in the late 13th or early 14th century. In 1544, the Ottomans set it on fire. Szakcs’s Roman Catholic church was also destroyed by the Ottomans in 1563; this refers to the former church building, not the present-day church. These historical details shed light on different turning points in the town’s church history without conflating the former church with the present one.
Szakcs’s standing is also reflected in its historical privileges: the town regained its market-town status, which it had previously acquired, 42 years later, and at the same time received the right to hold four national fairs. Its market-town status and right to hold fairs offer further insight into the town’s history.
A Glimpse Beyond the Town Center
A significant fortress stood in Roman times about seven kilometers from the present-day village of Szakcs. An excavation was planned. This extends the historical view beyond the history of the church and the town to Roman times. During your stay, this creates a clear contrast between the memorials in Szakcs’s church garden and the more distant Roman history of the surrounding area.
More Themes in the Wider Destination of Tolna
The wider destination of Tolna also offers a range of different highlights. In Tamási, the Tamási Thermal Bath features a sauna area, leisure pools, and medicinal water. If you are planning a day at the baths, check the current operating information in advance, as facilities and opening arrangements may change. The Pacsmag Lakes offer a different theme: they are an important Hungarian habitat for the strictly protected ferruginous duck (cigányréce). The focus here is a special natural habitat, not church history.
Szekszárd offers two more points of interest. The Babits Mihály Memorial House is located in the more than 200-year-old Kelemen House and is a literary memorial site. The Wosinsky Mór Museum is open to visitors every day from 10:00 to 17:00, except Mondays; opening hours may vary on public holidays. If you are planning a museum visit, take this public-holiday schedule into account. In Ozora, Pipo Castle was built by Filippo Scolari, who came from Florence. The region’s themes are distinct: nature at the Pacsmag Lakes, bathing in Tamási, literature and museums in Szekszárd, and castle history in Ozora.
Choose the Right Focus for Your Trip
When looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to first decide what kind of trip you want. Would you like Szakcs’s church history to be the main focus, or would you also like to include nature, bathing, and cultural attractions in other places across the wider destination of Tolna? These options lead to different travel plans. The historical details in Szakcs provide a concrete starting point for a stay, while the places mentioned in Tolna offer additional themes to choose from.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Kapospula, Kaposszekcső, Dombovar, Döbrököz.
Back to the wider travel overview: Dombóvári.
