Sútor among wooded hills and history

Sútor lies in the basin landscape of the Rimavská kotlina, in the valley of a left-bank tributary of the Rimava. The municipality is predominantly wooded and characterized by hills. Together with the Ťahan Nature Reserve and the Reformed church, this gives the place a profile where landscape and history sit side by side.

Wooded hills and the Ťahan Protected Area

The Ťahan Nature Reserve lies within the cadastral area of Sútor and also extends into the cadastral area of Tomášovce. Its boundaries are identical to those of the Natura 2000 site SKUEV0363 Ťahan: it is therefore the same designated area under two protection labels. This distinction is useful for understanding the landscape, because “nature reserve” and “Natura 2000” do not refer to two different destinations here.

Different levels of protection apply within the protected area: Zone A has protection level 5, while Zone D has protection level 2. The protected habitats include Pannonian oak-hornbeam forests (91G0) and oak-Turkey oak forests (91M0). The forests in the municipality include oak-hornbeam stands with beech, as well as oak and pine forests. If you are interested in the natural side of the area, you can distinguish between two levels: the municipality’s wooded hills and the specially designated Ťahan protected area with its designated forest habitats.

Church, village history, and traditional texts

Sútor’s oldest monument is the Reformed church, built in 1810. It is a hall church with a straight-ended sanctuary and a projecting tower. The timing is important when considering its current condition: a report dated January 19, 2025, describes the church as a roofless ruin, gradually being overtaken by vegetation. Check the situation again before visiting.

The bells are also part of a more recent historical turning point. In 2018, a symbolic farewell service was held at the church, during which the bells in the tower rang for the last time. They were then removed and taken to the grounds of the Pauline monastery in Gombasek near Rožňava, which was undergoing restoration at the time.

The village’s history goes back further: Sútor is first mentioned in 1410. It initially belonged to Blh Castle and later to the Muráň estate. Turkish troops devastated the village in 1566–1567. Another kind of historical record survives from 1828: residents made pipes and brooms. This sequence brings together an early written mention, changes in lordship, a turning point in the 16th century, and evidence of local production in the 19th century.

Folklore texts are also associated with Sútor. The Slovak Hungarian Text Folklore Archive lists two folklore texts associated with Sútor: “A boszorkány halála” and “Mióta nincs Szútorban jó idő?” The titles add a folkloric tradition to the architectural and historical traces.

Considering Sútor as a place to stay

Sútor brings both themes together; which one matters more to you depends on your travel interests.

Discover more destinations: Štrkovec, Budikovany, Hubovo, Drienčany, Chanava, Čerenčany, Rumince, Studená.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Rimavská Sobota.