Gyékényes

Gyékényes is a town in Somogy county, only a few kilometers from the border with Croatia in southwest Hungary. The nearest major town is Nagykanizsa, about half an hour's drive from Gyékényes away. The place is located with the Kotro known throughout the region quarry belonging to a nature reserve.

History

Gyékényes was first documented in 1380. After the fall of Nagykanizsa 1600 in one of the Turkish wars, the village was conquered by the Turks. Only towards the end of the Second Siege of Vienna, the area in the 17th century came in Christian possession. 1859 burned down a large part of the village. The until then independent settlements Alsógyékényes and Felsőgyékényes united under the name Gyékényes, thus, the current community came into being. 1870, the railway line from Gyékényes was opened to Croatia, the first train of Gyékényes to Zagreb wrong on 5 January of the same year. Since 1932, the settlement gravel mining is operated on the edge, which is an important employer for the people of the place and the reason for the establishment of the flooded gravel pit.

Nature

Gyékényes is dominated by forest region. Since 1996 it has been part of the Duna - Drava National Park. It can be found Ried forest and chess flowers, also the wood stork nests in the municipality.

Culture and sights

A major attraction is the Roman Catholic church in the style of classicism. The altarpiece was designed in 1886 by the Hungarian artist Károly Jakobey. The Protestant church was built in 1887 in neo-Gothic style according to plans by Valentin Morandini.

Traffic

Gyékényes is a railway junction. In the village the railway line Nagykanizsa Pécs and the railway line Dombóvár - Gyékényes cross.