Šimonovce: Village Green, Tolerance Church and Cultural Landscape

Between the Rimava floodplain and the historic village centre

Šimonovce lies in the southern part of the Rimavská kotlina Basin, in the floodplain of the Rimava. The municipal area is unforested and combines flat terrain with hilly areas. Its pronounced terraces are particularly distinctive, underlain by Tertiary marls, claystones and sandstones. These rocks are covered by river deposits and loess loams. Anyone interested in the landscape around the village will therefore encounter not a uniform relief, but a succession of flatter and more strongly dissected areas.

A village centre with a clearly recognisable structure

The historic character of Šimonovce is particularly evident in the heritage zone. Here, an almost intact linear settlement is arranged around a broad, elongated rectangular village green. A road runs through this green. The heritage zone was designated in 1996, preserving a clearly legible settlement structure that consists not only of individual buildings, but also of their spatial relationship.

The houses, dating predominantly from the 19th century, are arranged along the road. Many have three or more rooms and are grouped around the widened road. Wattle-and-daub blocks and bricks were used as building materials; the buildings are plastered and whitewashed. This gives you a vivid impression of how a historic rural village centre can be recognised through its buildings, its plot layout and the course of its public space.

The Tolerance Church and Neoclassical manor house

The Reformed Tolerance Church is the oldest monument in Šimonovce. It was built in 1790 on older foundations. Together with the heritage zone, it provides an important reference point for understanding the history of the village: the church represents a specific building from the late 18th century, while the surrounding settlement structure is shaped primarily by its 19th-century buildings.

The Neoclassical manor house in Šimonovce was built in the first half of the 19th century. It is a single-storey building with a rectangular floor plan. An original columned loggia is located on the courtyard side. The manor house is considered to be in poor condition; one of its façades has been modernised and substantially altered.

A cultural monument and a cycle route

Another testament to the local building history is the folk dwelling at Šimonovce 109. It is a brick house dating from 1863. The folk dwelling and its grounds were declared a national cultural monument in 1963.

A cycle route from Rimavská Sobota via Jesenské and Šimonovce to the Hostice Reservoir offers another perspective on the village. It runs along paved roads and is suitable for various types of bicycles. If you would like to experience Šimonovce not only through individual historic buildings, but also through a connection between several places, this route complements the historical view of the village with a clearly defined course.

For comparison with other destinations, you can find Čerenčany, Žíp, Abovce, Martinová, Babinec, Dolné Zahorany, Radnovce and Horné Zahorany here.

For the overview of the wider area: Rimavská Sobota District.