The Ancient Buildings of Szecseny, Hungary

Szecseny, Hungary is an interesting historical city along the Slovakian border. Many of the area's buildings date back several centuries, with the 14th century church being the oldest surviving building in the town. It is worth walking through the streets of Szecseny, Hungary to see the leaning fire tower, old 16th century bastion, still-operational Franciscan monastery, and many other historical sites.

The ancient buildings of Szecseny, Hungary: Forgach Mansion

The centerpiece of Szecseny, Hungary is the Forgach Mansion. It stands out visually because of its unusual yellow paint job. The building was constructed in the 1760s on top of a demolished medieval fortress. Today, the Forgach Mansion is dedicated to displaying the area's history, now housing the Ferenc Kubinyi Museum. In the main building of the castle, you will see a large collection of local artifacts, including a complete model of a house from the Neolithic area. This exhibit captures the era in great detail, being especially focused on demonstrating the construction methods that were used at the time. Even the exterior of the Forgach Mansion in Szecseny, Hungary serves as a museum, housing its own display of ancient farming equipment.

The ancient buildings of Szecseny, Hungary: Old bastions and ancient churches

Walking out of the Forgach Mansion's castle grounds, you can see the area in Szecseny, Hungary where the population declared Ferenc Rakoczi as their new prince. Farther along in the town, you will come upon an ancient bastion that dates back to the 16th century. There was once a museum dungeon in this building, but it has since been closed to the public. Along the town's old-style walls, you will see row after row of homes, displaying the area's typical style of architecture. At the end of these homes, you will find another of Szecseny, Hungary's ancient buildings, a church dating back to the 14th century.

The ancient buildings of Szecseny, Hungary: Leaning fire tower and Franciscan monastery

Once you are on the main street of Szecseny, Hungary, the leaning fire tower will catch your attention. Once built out of wood, the fire tower was rebuilt out of stone in 1718 as a celebration of the end of the plague in Hungary. The Franciscan monastery down the street looks like another of Szecseny, Hungary's ancient and unused buildings, but this monastery is actually still in operation. The entrance gate is kept locked, so tourists must ring the bell and wait for admission by one of the resident monks. The monks are busy with their spiritual work and do not provide a guided tour for the public, but you can find English printed material about the Franciscan monastery at the Szecseny, Hungary tourist information office.