The village of Rezi and its programmes
Rezi is situated 8 kilometres from both Héviz and Keszthely.
The village can be found in a valley surrounded by hills
covered with forests and vineyards such as Keszthely Mountains,
Meleg-hegy (Mount Hot), Kümell, Almástető (Apple Hill).
This area has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Ancient
Celtic as well as Roman remains have been discovered here.
The large forest is a perfect place for hunting. At the
same time it offers great opportunities for relaxing and
or hiking, as well. The ruins of the castle built in the
13th century, which is the highest peak of the area, can
be reached with a not too long forest walk (approximately
6 kms).
Viniculture has century-long traditions in the village.
The quality of the wine produced here is determined by
the fact that the area belongs to the Balaton-uplands region.
The characteristic type of wine is the Rizling.
The place is ideal for walks or riding trips. The quiet
nights, fresh and clean air can be very relaxing after
a noisy day spent by the Lake Balaton. You also have the
chance to taste the wines offered at the cool wine cellars
or at the Fehérszőlő Inn in the vineyards.
One of the village’s special programmes is the grape harvest
festival which takes place from the middle of September
until the end of October. There is also the so-called “pig-killing”
feast from November till February. There are two other
major festivals, which have been evolved lately: the Castle
tour organized on the second Saturday of May, and the Grape
harvest party on the second Sunday of September. In summer
you can take part in several different programmes, as well:
the day of sports and street party in July, the classical
and choir concerts in August and of course, the Castle-camp.
The history and sights of the village
This area has always been inhabited since the Stone Age.
Ancient Celtic graves as well as Roman remains have been
discovered here.
The main tourist attraction of the village is the Castle
built in the 13th century which is situated on the peak
of the 418 m high Meleg-hegy.
You can see the Castles of Tátika and Sümeg, and the mounts
of Gulács and Badacsony from this peak Apart from the amazing
view from the castle there are different tourist paths
in the forest, as well. You can find Sikalikja-cave if
you climb down the steep side of the mountain from the
Old Tower (Öregtorony). The cave has got two entrance holes
but you can only get in through the upper one: The lower
hole is obstructed. Remains from Stone Age people have
been found here.
Dr Darnay Béla, who was the first explorer of the cave,
stated that the first spring of thermal water (héviz) had
been discovered at the old tunnel.
The Gyöngyöss-betyár csárda (the inn of the outlaws of
Gyöngyös)
You can see the thatched building of the Gyöngyösi betyár-csárda
near the road at the foot of the Almástető hill. It was
once the favourite place of the local outlaws and it has
served as an inn for hundreds of years now. It was first
mentioned in 1729. The inn was named after the nearby Gyöngyös
stream that got its name from the mistletoe growing on
the trees in the region. Opposite the inn there were four
mills in the early times. Today you can only see one of
them, the so-called Bika (bull) mill.
The Gyöngyös csárda welcomes you every day. You can taste
the traditional dishes characteristic for the region as
well as delicious wines. Beside the gorgeous food you can
also enjoy the gypsy music, riding tours and cart-tours
offered by the inn. From May to October there are various
programmes every day, for example “csikós” (wrangles) shows,
gipsy dance, Hungarian folk programmes. The inn also provides
facilities for organizing wedding parties or private meetings.
Two outlaws Vak Illés and Kőkes Pista were buried in a
tomb near the inn right next to the road. Even today you
can see wooden crosses and their names carved in stone
to commemorate them.
The church, the cemetery and the parish
When you arrive in the village you can see the beautiful
church, which is a beloved destination for tourists. The
cemetery behind the church is very old: you can find 80-100-year-old
tombstones carved from the local sandstone. The oldest
ones have been built into the supporting wall to prevent
them from decay and make the entrance more attractive.
The chapel of Saint Donat at the vineyard
There was already a chapel on the hill in the vineyards
in 1785. St Donát chapel was built in 1866 by winegrowers
in Neo-Romanesque style. The roof is decorated with two
stone statues. The one on the left represents St. Donát.
The front part of the tower is held by two coloumns.
There are several sandstone crosses along the path leading
to the chapel that were carved by local craftsmen. In 1994
a beautiful Orbán (the patron saint of winegrowers) statue
was erected at Hegykapu. (Mountain Gate)
Rezi is near Lake Balaton and Héviz. It is a small, quiet
village with fresh air, delicious wines, wonderful history
and interesting sights worth visiting.
The village today
The village is constantly developing. The system of public
utilities is fully established: water, electricity, sewage
system, gas, Internet. The streets are mainly surfaced
even outside the village. You can also find two groceries,
an inn and several pubs there.
There is an elementary school with 8 classes and a kindergarten.
The population has grown for the past few years. It’s 1250
people now.
The future plans of the village
There are different ongoing projects at the moment: the
restoration of the old parish, which would function as
a hostel, the construction of an educational path leading
up to the castle. In addition, we have planned to build
a hotel that has unfortunately been retarded by the economical
crisis.
Our homepage is: www.rezi.hu
