Kistarcsa

Place description

The tourism of Kistarcsa is mainly characterised by its seasonality. Tourists mainly visit the town at the time of major events arranged locally and in the neighbouring settlements, such as the Formula 1 at Mogyoród, or the Corpus Christy Procession arranged in the next village, Csömör.
At Kistarcsa, the Kistarcsa Days are attracting the high number of visitors in May, as well as the week-long Autumn Cultural Week. The Tulip National Slovak Folklore Event and the ‘Pántlika’ Ethnic Folklore Meeting arranged bi-annually also offer a lot of opportunities.
Kistarcsa has no important historic memorials, but thanks to the natural beauty of the Gödöllő Hills, equestrian tourism is quite important in the town. Several riding halls have been opened on the edge of the town, while the hiking routes cutting across the town also attract a number of visitors to Kistarcsa. The local traditional Slovak national dress can mostly be seen at traditional events.
Sports play an important part in the life of the town. Visitors arrive from all over the country to the swimming, bicycle, triathlon, judo and football competitions and races arranged regularly. The swimming pool operating for over a decade is a major basis of sports tourism.

Tourist attractions in the town and surrounding areas:

Slovak Folklore Collection
Roman Catholic Church of the Rosary
Calvinist Church
A Memorial Wall – two special memorial plaques devoted to the memory of people detained in an internment camp near Kistarcsa, where many anonym martyrs were killed
Heroes’ wooden headboard – raised to commemorate the victims of communism
Secler Gate

Travelling east along the road M3 you will reach the city of Gödöllő where you can find a number of other sights. Tourists will first visit the ’Grassalkovich’ Palace. The group of buildings is currently the venue of ministers’ meetings of the European Union. You can take pleasant walks in the park of the Palace or in ’Erzsébet’ park nearby.
Gödöllő is a university town, the home of Saint Steven University, which has grown out of a school of the Premonstratensian Order. Its assembly hall is decorated with the huge relief „The Apotheosis of the Seed” by Amerigo Tot. You can visit a museum of the history of agricultural tools and machines as well as an arboretum on the territory of the University.

The Basilica of Our Virgin Mary is the most important sight in the part of the town called Máriabesnyő. The crypt of the Grassalkovich family is in the undercroft while a Museum of Mary can be visited in the courtyard.

Further sights at the town of Gödöllő:
The Gong of World Peace (Main Square)
Gödöllő Town Museum
Golgotha (’Erzsébet’ park)
Series of murals depicting the saints and beatified members of the House of Árpád