Hajós, the town of wine cellars

According to femina.hu, a long weekend is not enough to discover everything the small but beautiful town of Hajós has to offer. Hajós is a small Hungarian town in Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary, which is famous for its wine cellars and the huge variety of wines one can taste there.

Hajós is a quiet little town with 3000 residents, an ideal place for a long weekend getaway. The town has something special with which it stands out of the many wonderful towns where one can try famous Hungarian wines: the so-called pincefalu (cellar village).

 

Cellar village

A relatively big part of the town (24 streets) consists of wine cellars only, which is almost considered to be a settlement on its own: the cellar village. Approximately 1200-1300 wine cellars are located in this cellar village, which makes it the biggest “row of wine cellars” in Hungary.

Wine production in Hajós started in the 1700’s. By the 1800’s, there were more than 850 wine cellars in the town, and wine tourism started to provide the majority of the income for the people of Hajós. In the beginning, guests were accommodated in the hosts’ own homes, but this tradition later changed, and guesthouses were built.

In the past, Hajós was famous for its red wine made from Kadarka, but today many types of delicious wines can be found here, such as Blue Frankish, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, zweigelt, pinot noir, or Riesling.

The area’s sandy topsoil and the yellow subsoil are ideal for wine grapes.

Wine festivals

Each year, the town of Hajós hosts, besides the annual harvest festival, the St. Orbán Wine Festival at the end of May. The festival commemorates the patron saint of grapes and wine: St. Orbán. The festival attracts many tourists each year, most of the visitors come from certain areas of Germany.

Bored of wine?

If someone needs a little break between two wine cellars, one can visit the Baroque Castle of Hajós, which is the oldest castle in Bács-Kiskun County. One can also visit the baroque Érsek Castle with its beautiful park in Hajós.

Another sight that is definitely worth visiting in the town is the Roman Catholic Church.

Featured Photo: www.hajosvaros.hu

Source: www.femina.hu