White Lake at Kardoskút is a must-see for visitors spending their holiday at Orosháza or its surroundings.
Based on the information provided by the official site of Körös Maros National Park: White Lake has been a nature conservation area since 1966, when the surrounding steppes became protected territory as migrating land on the routs followed by approximately 150 migrating species. White Lake in Kardoskút is the most valuable alkali lake of the South Tiszántúl region with its special water supply and water surfaces of the inland water recipients. The geographical, ornithological and biological values of the lake and its surroundings indicate the high level of protection. The alkali lake has been a nature conservation area under the Ramsar Treaty since 1979.
In the end of winter thousands of wild geese and ducks gather into flocks to migrate to the north.
Flocks of curlews, whimbrels and sandpipers have a rest on the wet grassy meadows at the lakeside.When the spring days start to warm, the avocet builds its nest near the water. The Kentish plover nests in the bare alkali patches that are covered with fescue and bárányparéj. In the pastures with higher grass peewits, godwits and red-legged sandpipers nest.In October and November the migration of cranes is a special event. Simultaneously with the cranes the wild geese also start migration to the north. In autumn very big flocks of birds spend weeks in the region.
The lake is surrounded by ancient native and secondary, established grasslands and croplands. The present names of the grasslands (Fecskés, Kis-Bogárzó, Nagy-Bogárzó, Csomorkány) refer to the former lakes and waterlogged areas. On the patches of the ancient loess grasslands very rare plant species grow like the Stembergia colchiciflora and the common meadow-rhubarb. The protection of Vásárhely grasslands, where the remnants of old farms are still seen, offers the possibility of preservation of traditional life conditions and activities of peasants living in the region.
The preservation of beauty of the landscape, the unbroken horizon, the mosaics of extensively cultivated lands and grasslands contribute to the maintenance of natural values of the region.Tourists can visit the stocks of Hungarian grey cattle, racka and cigaja sheep owned by the Körös-Maros National Park at its Fehértó unit at Kardoskút, namely at the Sóstó establishment. These ancient domesticated animals have an outstanding value as they form a part of a Gene Bank for the purposes of the future animal husbandry.
Next to the nature conservation area, in the Pusztaközpont (Grassland Centre), the Museum in Kardoskút presents the past and the natural values of White-lake. The museum exhibits the history of Kardoskút, its flora and fauna with old maps, drawings, photos and preparations.
Let’s start our sightseeing tour at Vilmos Győri square, where we can see the statue of Saint Stephen, the first Hungarian king.
It was inaugurated in the year of Millenium, in this way being one of the latest statues of the town. The statue is the work of László Rajki, sculptor born in Orosháza, but currently living in Szentendre. The half-portrait figure of the King stands on a columshaped pedestal. The animal symbols of turul and lion appearing on the capital refer to the totemistic forefathers of the Árpád-house and the royalty. Further carvings on the pedestal refer to the history of the town foundation.
The statue of Kossuth in Szabadság square is the work of János Horvay, restore by László Rajki. Its four sides are decorated with relieves; before gilded backgrounds, there are the following motives: Kossuth speaking on pulpit; the image of the marching in soldiers; cannon attack of ’honvéds’ (of the Hungarian Army) and the cleric-representative of Orosháza, József Veres, blesses the ashes of Kossuth on the catafalque.
In the 19th century Mihály Táncsics was elected member of Parliament, representing Orosháza and the surrounding districts. These days his statue can be found in front of the local secondary high school. The statue of János Szántó Kovács can be found at Dózsa street nr.5.
Further statues worth visiting at Orosháza: Sándor Petőfi statue at Kossuth street nr 1, right in front of the Petőfi Cultural Center, József Eötvös statue in front of the school named after him and the statue of Heroes in Kossuth street.
Due to the fact that Orosháza was founded by Lutherans driven out of Zomba because of their faith, up to now this is the most influential religious community in the town.
he only monument of the town is the Lutheran Church constructed in late baroque style. Its construction started in 1777, gaining its final form in 1830. The building can host up to 2 500 people, the cipher of the church was decorated by Lőrincz Dunajszki. Pesky József painted the altarpiece of the church with the title The Last Supper of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, a popular subject in Christian art. Four memorials of marble slabs commemorate the 800 Lutheran victims of the First World War.
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built in 1922. The Roman Catholic church is the place where Miklós Széchényi, bishop of Grand Varadino was buried in 1923. He contributed financially the contruction of this church. The tomb is covered by a slab of black marble.
In the interior of the tomb-chapel stands a 3,5 meter high black marble cross with the figure of Jesus with the Sacred Heart. The monument was made by Albin Sieger and Imre Szőts, while the sculpture of Jesus was made by Adorján Horváth.
Followers of John Calvin represent a small minority at Orosháza. Their church was built during the First World War, between 1914 and 1917. Its style is neo-Gothic. Its unique characteristic feature is the slenderness, both inside and outside. The doors and windows are lancet. The front tower is 36 meter high.
Although the Historical Memorial Park raised serious arguments for and against, nowadays it is part of local life, it became a sight to visit, the place of various celebrations.
It is the work of Tibor Szervátius built to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the foundation of the town. In the center of the statue park is placed the “Gate of sorrow” and a crying woman figure. All around, in the park, in chronological order, the crucial episodes of the Hungarian history are symbolized by rustic, unformed blocks of stone, the important dates of the Hungarian and local history are carved in. The years that are major milestones are 1848, 1920, 1944, 1956 and 1991.
The park is a pleasant place for walking, relaxing either in winter or in summer time. It is worth visiting!
The Panoráma lookout tower is one of the attractions of Orosháza and Gyopárosfürdő. If we climb the spiral staircase we can have an amazing view of the area.
Apart from being a lookout tower, the building operates as a museum, too. The entrance hall of the tower hosts a permanent exhibition showing the ethnology of the region, the lifestyle of the people living here through reliques of fishing, hunting, apiarist, winemaker and reed growing. On the walls up to the top there are old pictures showing the life of people in the 19th century, presenting a short history of traditional lifestyle at Gyopárosfürdő.
From the top of the tower visitors can get a wonderful view of the lake system. The tower is 23 metre high with 93 stairs. Visits can be made with previous appointments and only during the high season.
The only well museum in the country can be found here, as well as a related exhibition presenting water history.
For a few years the exhibition has been sponsored by the local János Kovács Szántó Museum, earlier it belonged to the Békés county water company.
Originally the museum is based upon the idea of the local history researcher Sándor Kiss Horváth. Nowadays the water tower, which is out of usage, and the well museum in its surrounding garden is a unique tourist attraction. The researcher had been enriching his collection for 20 years, when finally in 2002 he could open this museum presenting water history.
So far the well museum has won the Museum of the year award two times. The Békés Megyei Vízművek Zrt has been sponsoring the collector for years, helping him to achieve a succesful opening of the museum. Nowadays the museum is in the possession of the town.
The museum has no opening hours, it can be visited based on previous appointments made through the operating institution.
While at Orosháza for art loving visitors Town Art Gallery is an important stop during their journey. It hosts traditional and modern pieces of art in the same time.
The Town Art Gallery is situated in the heart of Orosháza town. The builiding itself disposes of exhibition halls located on two floors with an overall area of 583 m2, with seven permanent exhibitions. On the first floor are displayed the works by Nicolás Muller (Müller Miklós) photographer, Ferenc Bolmányi painter and Tibor Feldmann painter. The second floor houses the works by Gyula Pap, István Boldizsár and József Csáki-Maronyák painters in addition to Emil Vitroel sculptor.
Beside the permanent exhibitions, temporary shows are also organised in the Town Gallery from time to time. Apart from these exhibitions, the Town Gallery serves as the home for literary and music evenings, fine artistic lectures and book presentations.
Currently permanent exhibitions present the history of the town Orosháza and its region from the archeological periods to nowadays. Visitors can get an overview about the socio-economic and historical development of Orosháza.
Temporary exhibitions are also organized. One of them is: Sarmatians at the South Lowlands. Another exhibition will commemorate József Darvas, who was born 100 years ago. There are exhibitions of painters, sculptors or even literature presentations.
One of the most contradictory personalities in the history of Orosháza during the past century was József Darvas, writer and politician born in Orosháza.
According to the database of Wikipedia:
“József Darvas (born as József Dumitrás; 10 February 1912 – 3 December 1973) was a Hungarian writer and politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1950 and 1951, as Minister of Education between 1951 and 1953 and as Minister of Culture between 1953 and 1956. He was member of the Presidential Council of the People’s Republic of Hungary since 1971.” His father worked as a farm hand and died at a young age in the World War I.
In this way his Mother raised four children alone, earning their living by working as a maid. He graduated from the training college in Kiskunfélegyháza, in 1932 changed his name from Dumitras to Darvas. As he was out of job he started to work as a labourer, later as a book agent and apprentice. Soon he joined the communist student movement and village writers movement. These sociographers referred to themselves as populist writers.
After the early death of the writer in 1973, his house was turned into a Memorial House. In the back garden there is a new, modern building with the Literary Collection of Békés County.
When you are in Orosháza, do as the locals do During a holiday in Orosháza it is worth visiting the local market.
Although markets have always been the centre of social life, nowadays the shopping centres and malls tempt the customers and markets have lost their importance. Despite this tendency in Orosháza the market preserved its importance. On some specific days of the week called market days, there are traffic jams around the market due to the high number of people arriving here. It is partly due to the fact that a decade ago a modern market hall was built, with a wide choice of services inside.
The main attraction of a market is the fresh fruit and vegetables, and Orosháza is lucky from this point of view. Local producers offer their products of high quality. In the market hall customers can find everything starting from hot red pepper to newspapers and magazines. Customers can have breakfast here, too. If you get hungry it is worth tasting the local gastronomic specialities: fried sausages with bread and mustard, fried bread covered with sour cream and cheese, or the local sweet speciality: csiramálé (wheat germ pudding).
We can get to know a town really well only by having a pleasant walk in its downtown area.
First let’s take a walk down the main street. Its name is Kossuth Street. While walking you will feel the pleasant atmosphere and enjoy the nice view of the street. About a two-minute walk from here you will find the traditional market and hall, where local small scale producers sell their reliable products.
It’s worth walking to the Town Art Gallery on Endre Thék Street and visit the permanent and temporary exhibitions. We can also visit the only monument of the town that is the Lutheran Church constructed in late baroque style.
The centre of the town offers a wide choice of services: shopping facilities, banks, insurance companies and beauty saloons.
If we got exhausted and would do with a coup of coffee we can go to the Amadeus café. If we would like to have a nice lunch, the Pipacs restaurant is the best choice.
We can not compare local night life with big cities because it is apples and oranges. However, the town springs to life on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Let’s run through some programs which give an insight into the evening and night life of Orosháza. Visitors must try at least once the night time bathing at Gyopáros – on specific days of the week the adventure pools are open till 22:00. On top of that there are parties and wellness programmes organized especially for these nights.
In Orosháza mainly the down town area offers the opportunity to dine at a wide variety of restaurants. You can enjoy a glass of wine or beer, lemonade or a coffee in one the numerous pubs and bars. If you are looking for an active form of amusement you can choose from different places. You should start your trip at Amadeus café or Gösser pub, then we can pop to Anno for a rock concert, which is not right in the centre, but there is a wide choice of taxi companies that can take you there.
After the concert a great way to enjoy a night out is to have a party till dawn at Bla-Bla, which is a popular local club at Táncsics street. At this early hour the market is already open so we can finish the outing with something typically Hungarian. Ever heard of the famous Hungarian Lángos? In fact it is a savoury, deep fried scone with garlic, cheese and sour cream covering it. Or a nice portion of fried sausages with crispy fresh bread and mustard.
From different point of views Orosháza can be considered as centre of horse life in the Southern Great Plain region: there are locally bred horses winning national and international races.
On top of that the local horse club organises plenty of prestigious races and competitions year by year.
Let’s see this year’s Programme Calendar:
1 May – May Day celebration, trotting and gallop races, carriage driving competition, skill test demonstration for children
23 June – National Gallop regional races, invitational show jumping competition, cultural programmes till night
7 July – Lawn Derby, carriage driving competition
19 August – Official trotting and gallop races, interesting programmes
Orosháza offers a wide range of opportunities for horse riders as a hobby, mainly in the seasons of spring, summer and autumn. Ideal destinations could be Ravasz Farm, Varga Horse Farm, Mustang Sports School and Pony Club. Apart from these places horse lovers will find other opportunities as well. Not to mention the numerous shows organized each year.
You do not have to leave your rackets at home during your holiday at Orosháza as there are various possibilities to enjoy your hobbies, tennis or squash, both in winter and in summer time.
In summertime there are different tennis courts at your disposal. One of these can be found at Tó street, that belongs to the local tennis club. At Vásárhelyi road you can find Kazszer Tennis Club. Even in the suburb area, at Gyopáros, there are a lot of tennis courts.
It is not much fun playing tennis in cold weather, but you do not have to renounce to this sport in winter time either. There is an indoor court at Gyopár Sports Centre or Kazszer Tennis Club.
Squash addicts will find place for their passtime at Gyopár Soprts Centre, Body Fit Squash & Fitness Center at Mihály Táncsics street.
The sports centre disposes of bowling courts. The sports center is situated in a quiet area, on a 5 hectare park. It offers 10 motel rooms and 2 apartments. On top of that it is situated at a distance of 800 meters from the spa.
Let’s see the rules of bowling! According to Wikipedia bowling is a sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface, usually a wooden or other synthetic surface, either into pins or to get close to a target ball. The most common types include ten-pin or nine-pin.The most common bowling is ten pin bowling. In ten pin bowling, matches consist of each player bowling a “game”. Each game is divided into ten “frames”.
A frame allows a bowler two chances to knock down all ten pins. The number of pins knocked over in each frame is recorded, a running total is made as each frame progresses, and the player with the highest score in his/her game wins the match. Scores can be greater than the actual number of pins knocked over if strikes or spares are bowled. A “strike” is scored when a player knocks down all pins on the first roll in the frame. Rather than a score of 10 for the frame, the player’s score will be 10 plus the total pins knocked down on the next two rolls in the next frame(s).
A “spare” is scored when all pins are knocked down using both rolls in the frame. The player’s score for that frame will be 10 plus the number of pins knocked down on the first roll in the next frame. A player who rolls a spare or strike in the last frame is given one or two more rolls to score additional points, respectively. A perfect game consists of 12 consecutive strikes, one for every frame and two more on the extra rolls in the 10th, and results in a score of 300.
Békés county offers plenty of fishing possibilities, ideal place for fans of fishing. Apart from the amasing Körös river, numerous fishing lakes are waiting for visitors during the summer months.
Fishing for these people means hobby, sport and entertainment in the same time. This passtime offers relaxation and excitement in a beautiful natural environment. The number of visitors is increasing year by year. Fishing is an experience that can be enjoyed alone or shared with friends and family. Fishing is about more than just catching fish; it is about enjoying nature and forgetting about your stresses. Fishing can be enjoyed by everyone – independent of age and gender!
The lowland Puszta attracts visitors not only during the hot summer months with temperatures reaching 34-36°C, but in winter time as well.
If we decide to go on a trip by car, or if the weather permits by bike, we will see a totally different side of the landscape: it is still and yet vital in the same time, sometimes rigid and sometimes romantic.
If later we want to recall these days spent with our sweetheart, family or friends we should take a camera with us. The beautiful winter puszta will serve us some occasions to shot a nice picture on the way.
Békés county is a genuine lowland area, with the unique atmosphere of puszta (vast area of plains), offering the experience of starry night seen in the films.
It is worth going out in the open air after dark either by car or by bike and spending there a few romantic or exciting hours.
Once we have set off we should take our cameras for sure. Lowland in the night offers such sights that are worth recalling later.
If we go out of towns or villages everything is covered by darkness and watching up above we will have an experience we have never had before. Staring at the sky our mind will fly in another dimension, while our soul will follow it like an astronaut with no limits. For a few minutes at least we will not care about the problems of our running every day life.
If there is any a romantic experience in the hasty world of today, bathing at night certainly is.
The atmosphere of a summer night at Gyopárosfürdő mixed with the spa experience is available every weekend, guaranteeing an experience unlike any other for everyone who are ready to visit the spa complex after sunset, together with their sweethearts or friends.
The starry skies, the soft summer night breeze, leaving a tender touch on their shoulders, awakening romantic feelings as well as an intimate emotion of Nature’s presence – an experience shared by everyone who has already dipped in the pool on a warm summer night, while staring at the starry skies beyond the softly glittering lights of the skyline. This is the time when emotions become more intense, refreshing our souls as well as our bodies.
Saturday Night Spa Adventure
You can have a night-time spa adventure on Saturday nights, when the outdoor adventure pools and the sauna park are open until 24:00. The thermal bath is closed after 8 pm on Saturdays. If you bought a daily ticket, you do not have to buy a separate ticket, you enjoy the redeemed service until saturday midnight!
Some weekend nights are made even more memorable with sauna sessions at the renewed sauna park of Gyopárosfürdő – you can find further information on the exact dates and times at the sauna seances pages.
Gyopárosfürdő panorama Take a tour of the Gyopárosfürdő spa using 360° panoramic pictures.
The pampering services offered by Gyopáros feel like a romantic touch.
The pace of everyday life is getting faster and faster. By the end of the week, we all long for some relaxation time. Our bodies are often neglected, get tired and say: stop! Some people cope with this running lifestyle better, others have problems. Prevention is better than cure! It is worth taking a relaxing massage or wellness therapy, refreshing in the same time our body and soul.
Visitors arriving at Orosháza can experience various massages, according to their taste and pretensions. Each of the applied massage techniques have positive effects upon different affections. While for many visitors an aromatic or relaxing massage is the best, for others a refreshing, body shaping or foot massage is the ideal choice. And in order to make the experience complete so that our body really gets what deserves: we can spend pleasant and refreshing moments in the salt chamber.
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If we go out of towns or villages everything is covered by darkness and watching up above we will have an experience we have never had before. Staring at the sky our mind will fly in another dimension, while our soul will follow it like an astronaut with no limits. For a few minutes at least we will not care about the problems of our running every day life.
The atmosphere of a summer night at Gyopárosfürdő mixed with the spa experience is available every weekend, guaranteeing an experience unlike any other for everyone who are ready to visit the spa complex after sunset, together with their sweethearts or friends.
Visitors arriving at Orosháza can experience various massages, according to their taste and pretensions. Each of the applied massage techniques have positive effects upon different affections. While for many visitors an aromatic or relaxing massage is the best, for others a refreshing, body shaping or foot massage is the ideal choice. And in order to make the experience complete so that our body really gets what deserves: we can spend pleasant and refreshing moments in the salt chamber.
