Sitke – Discover the Memorial Park and Török emlék

Sitke is best explored through its memorial sites. The Memorial Park and Török emlék offer different forms of remembrance: a bell tower, a gate and a village coat of arms, as well as a Gothic votive pillar that once served as a boundary marker. These places give a stay a clear cultural focus.

Memorial Park: Bell and memorials

Sitke’s Memorial Park features a bell tower with Hungarian and Székely motifs, a Székely Gate and the village coat of arms. The tower’s bell comes from Transcarpathia. It is intended to ring on various occasions: at births and for each deceased person, on every national holiday, and daily at noon to commemorate the Battle of Nándorfehérvár. The war memorial depicts the fate of a widowed mother and her child. Alongside the symbols of the village and remembrance, the focus is also on an individual human story.

Török emlék and its former function

Török emlék in Sitke is a 15th-century Gothic votive pillar carved from flat stones. It is considered a stone lantern. Candles were once lit in its niches to remember the dead and ward off wandering, damned souls. This use of candles is historical; the structure also formerly served as a boundary marker between Kissitke and Nagysitke. Unlike the memorials in the Memorial Park, Török emlék is also understood in terms of its former boundary function. In Sitke, remembrance and local history thus stand side by side.

Regional perspectives in the wider destination of Vas County

In the wider destination of Vas County, Írottkő Nature Park lies in the northwestern part of the county; it includes the entire 4,303-hectare Kőszeg Landscape Protection Area. The regional perspective in Vas County thus extends from a nature park to a large landscape protection area.

Routes in the wider destination of Vas County also offer different highlights. The Termál Kerékpáros Túraút (Thermal Cycling Route) leads to five spa complexes in Vas County and combines cycling with visits to architectural and natural attractions, as well as other spas. The Vulkán Tour leads to Kis-Somlyó, Ság-hegy and Belső-hegy. Based on the themes mentioned, the first route can be described as combining cycling and spa visits; the second names three hills as destinations.

Rural life and architectural history are part of the regional culture in Vas County. The Vasi Skanzen presents the rural way of life and vernacular architecture of Vas County from the past two centuries. Since opening in 1973, it has rescued and rebuilt 43 structures from 27 settlements. Two Romanesque churches add to this cultural perspective: St. Michael’s Church in Csempeszkopács was built in the Romanesque style around 1250; the Romanesque church of Ják Abbey was consecrated in 1256.

For dining recommendations, the Vas County Tourism Association provides travelers with a gastronomic map and an online search for recommended restaurants and wineries. Listings may change.

Discover more destinations: Sárvár, Hosszúpereszteg, Zsédeny, Répcelak, Szeleste, Sótony, Rábapaty, Csénye

To the overview of the wider destination: Sárvári.