SK: Dvory nad Žitavou: The Beauty of Podunají - VIDEO

Dvory nad Zitavou are surrounded by fields with extremely fertile soil. Therefore, it is not surprising that the area is one of the oldest homesteads in southern Slovakia. The very first written mention of the village dates back to 1075, where the Latin name of the settlement "Villa Hudvordiensium super aquam Sitou" is mentioned.

There are several remarkable monuments in the village, which we will visit in the following lines. Our walk starts from the railway station towards the TJ Družstevník football field and from there to the Old Evangelical Cemetery on Tabáková Street. There are a number of rare tombstones here and the Chapel from 1895 is also interesting. In front of the cemetery, in the niche of the roads Tabaková, Mlynské náměstí and Velké Komárňanská Street, there is a statue of an angel with a child.

An unmissable monument of this part of the village is the building of the Old Steam Mill, which was built in 1906 on the square of the same name. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by fire in 1911 and only the walls and the engine room remained. However, the view of this building is more than breathtaking. At present it functions as a warehouse.

On our way from the steam mill we move to the single-nave, neoclassical Calvinist church on Pekárenská Street, which was built in 1880 and reconstructed in 2016. Crossing Malá Komárňanska Street and next to the brewery building, we reach the statue of St. Vendelin - the patron saint of shepherds. It dates back to 1771 and stands on a high pedestal.

Continuing on through the beautiful wooden gate of the new millennium, we reach the building of the Municipal Museum, which is open to the public only by appointment. Opposite the museum is an information centre, as well as a small park with benches or a car park.

A short distance away is the architecturally impressive Žitava Guesthouse, where you can sit in the restaurant and enjoy traditional specialties of southern Slovakia. After a short rest, we head back to the Main Square, consisting of a park and the dominant Roman Catholic Church of St. Vojtech.

Before visiting the sacral church, we admire the massive cross with the statue of the Crucified, as well as the Monument to the Victims of the Events of 1919 or the Monument to the Fallen Heroes. The jubilee memorial to the founding of the 28th István Kaszap Scout Corps in the form of a carved wooden column is also unusual.

After this tour, nothing prevents us from visiting the secular temple, which has undergone several renovations over the decades. The majestic single-nave originally Baroque building with a polygonal end of the presbytery and a tower from the second half of the 18th century has an internal length of 36 metres and a width of 13 metres. The interior of the church consists of valuable rococo furnishings or a magnificent altarpiece. The church tower with the cross is 45 metres high. Under the church is a crypt where priests and the deceased of noble families are buried. Since 1963 the church has been a cultural monument.

In front of the entrance to the church there is a statue of the Holy Trinity from 1899 and a statue of the Holy Family from 1901. Not far from this place you will also come across the statue of St. Florian from 1855 or a memorable column of the Servant of God - Janos Esterházy, a martyr, count and martyr of the then communist regime.

In the centre of the village there is a memorial to the Hungarian population that was forcibly deported to the Czech Republic and Hungary between 1946 and 1948. On the stone column we can see an open palm and a human eye in it. Around the monument on the ground we can notice the names of the villages and towns where the citizens were forcibly deported.

At the end of our journey we head to the local Calvary, which is located in a remote place near the town of Nové Zamky. Calvary will enchant you with its vastness and really pleasant atmosphere. The Calvary consists of 14 stops, beautiful stairs decorated with statues of saints, crosses and a brick belfry with two bells from the late classical period, which also got into the coat of arms of the village.

Interestingly, in the centre of the tree avenue where the Calvary Church was planned, a stone statue of Immaculata was placed in 1859, dated 1844 in the inscription. There is also a chapel of St Martin, built in 1860, probably on the older foundations of the original medieval chapel.

Every year, the municipality of Dvory nad Zitavou organizes the so-called Municipal Days, which include general markets where you can see presentations of local amateur and professional artists, performances of folklore groups and also have a good meal. We therefore recommend that you plan your trip during the festival.

GPS: 47°59'37.6"N 18°15'57.0"E

Text, photos, and video: Pavol Jemala, Slovensko zdola

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