The 3 strangest Hungarian villages: seem like other far-away countries

We usually visit villages in the country to feel the calmness and peace of these places, but it is always refreshing to find a community there which could create something special, something more than these stereotypes. Femina.hu listed three of these Hungarian villages which are worth visiting if you feel the need to travel not only in space, but also in time or regarding the outlook on life.

A pinch of Greece: Beloiannisz

There is a place in the north-eastern part of Fejér county, where Greek music is on and Greek dancers cultivate their traditions, where a Greek church stands near the fields, and the locals are warm-hearted Greeks, who try to pass their much envied lifestyle to their Hungarian friends.

Beloiannisz, this village of Greek nationality, is the youngest place in the county, as it was founded by the Greeks fleeing to Hungary from the civil war.

The village, which was built at record speed on the ploughlands in the 1950s, could host 400 Greek families at first. The village was originally called ‘Görögfalva’ (meaning Greek-village), but in 1952 it assumed the name of Nikos Belogiannis, a giant figure of the Greek communist movement. By that time, 1850 people were living in the village. Later, many of them moved back to their motherland – primarily the elderly and single women – but the village divided by streets like ‘Athén’, ‘Murgána’ or ‘Ilektra’ still cultivates the southern tradittions and identity, despite the fact that nowadays almost everyone speaks Hungarian here.

The village can be reached by taking the train between Budapest and Pusztaszabolcs, or by car from the access road leading to Iváncsa-Besnyő. The inhabitants of Beloiannisz put a great emphasis on popularizing their culture, thus they organize programs for the visitors, like Greek music and dance. Visitors must also have a look at the Mediterranean Orthodox church, which was consecrated in 1996, but the structure of the village is also interesting, since it was created by a Greek engineer.

An alternative village: Gyűrűfű

Gyűrűfű is located in Baranya county, in the outer areas of Ibafa, mostly known for its pipe museum. This village represents everything that wanderers imagine when they are disappointed in civilization and desire a better and more free life style. The silence and peace of South-Zselic is still undisturbed in the ancient village, which is only becuase in the 1990s the village was consciously turned into an ecovillage, being the first of this kind in the country.