History

The township of Kovácsszénája is in county Baranya, in the subregion of Pécs.

Location

The township is a tiny village located 25 kilometers from Pécs, on the north-western side of the Mecsek. It can be directly reached by bus from Pécs in direction Abaliget. The Abaliget railway station lays a few kilometers away and is part of the Budapest–Dombóvár–Pécs electrified line.

Typical of the village are the lower temperatures and the more rainy weather than the average in Baranya, well known in the northern part of the Mecsek. The moderately warm summer is followed by a mild winter.

History

Its original name was Kovaczéna, which was intended to become more Hungarian by calling it first Kőhalom then Kovácsszéna. The settlement was first mentioned in the papal tenth register of 1290, which is guarded by the private archives of the chapter of Esztergom. The 14th century historical sources know it as a significant place with its own clergy-house. The Árpád-era settlement had an accentuated role in the surroundings thanks to the ecclesia of Saint Elisabeth till the end of 1600’s. During the Turkish thralldom it was not depopulated, the liberator wars have hardly affected the Hungarian population living here, its number of inhabitants have hardly changed since then. The plague epidemics of the 18th century tragically decimated its population, but we know about three mills, bee-masters, wheelwrights, carpenters and smiths from the time of Joseph II. In the second half of the 19th century a grazing company, a wood possession and a milk association were founded.

In the 20th century a farmers’ club, a firefighters’ society and even a reading club existed here besides the elementary school, which tells us about an important social and public role. However, the greatest part of the peasantry was registered as kulak and the lands were impounded. From the 50’s on, the population of the village started to decrease gradually. Almost no development reached the village till the change of regime. Most of the locals moved out and those few, who stayed, pauperized. More and more houses were bought to be used as weekend houses after the change of regime. Around the 90’s, some foreigners also came to the neighborhood, more and more Dutch and German citizens move to the village. Nowadays, the beauty of the village matches that of any Austrian small village, and more and more young people are coming to the village, with the intention the settle here. Such intentions are supported by the municipality.

Sights

Besides the fishing lake, the untouched flora and fauna of the permanent streams falling into the Orfű creek, interesting geological formations, a fountain, a cave and an Árpád-era stone-quarry await the tourists. The highlight of the settlement is the ancient Hungarian conglomerate-like settlement structure. The village is the proud owner of a famous photo gallery in which special exhibitions await the visitors throughout the year. A wonderful guest house, a genuine restaurant and delicious husbandry products lure the tourists to this wonderful little village.

Fellow villages

We are looking for fellow villages from all around the world; we are open to any suggestions.