Szabadszallas: Cultural History and Nature Destinations

Szabadszallas brings together architectural history, places of remembrance and ethnographic collections. Nearby, you can also go birdwatching, follow a nature trail and take an approximately three-hour hike through sand dunes. This brings together a range of themes, from the town’s history to nature observation in the surrounding area.

Collections and Local Ways of Life

The Dörmögő House is located in the former gatekeeper’s lodge of Imre Pőcze. Today, it serves as a memorial house and ethnographic exhibition, where period furniture and household items are on display. It is the only József Attila memorial site in Bács-Kiskun County. The house was inaugurated on April 11, 2005, on the occasion of the poet’s 100th birthday and as part of the József Attila Memorial Year.

The Tóth Sándor Local History Collection tells, through a series of twelve panels, about the years the Petrovits family spent in Szabadszallas and Petőfi Sándor’s connection to the town. Other exhibits offer insight into the material culture and everyday life of the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. They include household items, clothing, and tools used in crop farming and livestock raising. Traditional crafts are also presented. The Tájház at 5 Mars tér preserves folk customs and traditions and introduces the lives of people who lived in this area during the previous century.

Churches and Architectural History

The Reformed Church of Szabadszallas is a Baroque building. Its present-day structure was built between 1747 and 1759, and the tower was added in 1771. An oval memorial plaque above the tower entrance gives 1770 as the year the church was built by the Reformed community and mentions the approval of Maria Theresa. The Catholic Church was completed in 1929 to designs by architect Lajos Fridrich. Its ground plan was adapted to the shape of the plot. Together, the two churches offer different historical and architectural points of interest: one is a Baroque building with a tower, while the other has a ground plan tailored to its plot.

Monuments and Public Remembrance

Several monuments commemorate different chapters in the town’s history. The monument to those killed in the First World War was erected in 1922 in honor of residents who died in the war and bears 255 names. The monument to the victims of the Second World War was unveiled in the town center in 1992; it bears more than 200 names of military and civilian victims. The European Union Memorial Park is also in the town center. The town created it to commemorate its accession on May 1, 2004.

A memorial plaque commemorates Pál Rozsnyai, a senior hussar lieutenant who fled the imperial army during the 1848 War of Independence and later became chief magistrate of Szabadszallas. The Petőfi Sándor monument marks the former home of István Petrovics and Mária Hrúz, who settled in Szabadszallas in 1818. A bust of the poet stands in the garden of the Petőfi Sándor Town Library. It was created by Lajos Páli and installed in 1969.

Nature Destinations Nearby

At the boundary of Fülöpszállás, the route to Kelemen-szék offers birdwatching with binoculars from observation towers, as well as a walk along a nature trail featuring botanical and other natural history highlights. The Fehérhegy area, on the boundary with Fülöpháza, offers an approximately three-hour hike through sand dunes. The difference is useful when planning your time: an approximate hiking duration is given for Fehérhegy, while the description of the route to Kelemen-szék highlights birdwatching and the nature trail.

The Upper Kiskunság saline lakes lie in the area around Szabadszallas and Akasztó. Their large, shallow, open water areas provide suitable habitats for large numbers of waterbirds. They complement the nature experiences of the closer routes with a landscape defined in particular by open water and bird habitats.

More to Explore in the Wider Bács-Kiskun Destination

The wider Bács-Kiskun destination also includes cultural and historical attractions in other places. The Tiszaalpár, Földvár nature trail presents the history of the Bronze Age fortification of Tiszaalpári Földvár and the way of life of people in the Bronze Age. In Kiskunhalas, you can learn about the history of Halas lace at the Csipkeház and Csipkemúzeum, admire centuries-old lacework and see the lace-making process. The history of Halas lace began in 1902.

Discover more destinations: Apostag, Tass, Szalkszentmárton

Back to the main travel overview: Kunszentmiklósi.