Széphalom

Small Hungarian literary settlement where Ferenc Kazinczy's memorial hall anchors the language-reform pilgrimage.

Széphalom is a small settlement on the outskirts of Sátoraljaújhely in northeast Hungary, near the Slovak border. It is a literary pilgrimage site rather than a destination in the usual sense — this was the home of Ferenc Kazinczy (1759–1831), the writer and linguist who led the Hungarian language reform movement in the early 19th century.

A neoclassical memorial hall built in 1873 in the form of a Greek temple marks the spot where Kazinczy's country house once stood. A hornbeam avenue leads from the hall to his tomb. The Hungarian Language Museum opened here in 2008, dedicated to the history and development of the Hungarian language. The setting is quiet and leafy, and if you are in the Zemplén Hills region it makes a worthwhile detour.

Guide

Day Trips

Szephalom is itself a half-day stop on a longer trip through the Zemplen wine region. The town of Satoraljaujhely two kilometres south has a railway station, a small old town with the Zemplen Archives (13th-century documents in 18th-century cabinets), and a chairlift up Magas-hegy with views across the Slovak border. South of that lies the Tokaj wine region, with cellars open for tastings at Tolcsva, Mad, and Tokaj itself.

Guide

Things to Do

Szephalom is a small literary shrine in the wooded hills of northeast Hungary. The Kazinczy memorial hall and the Hungarian Language Museum sit on the same quiet estate where the great reformer lived, wrote, and is buried. An hour or two here is enough; combine it with a longer trip into the Zemplen wine country.