Trebišov District – Tokaj, Nature and River Landscapes

Tokaj Wine Country and River Landscapes

Trebišov District combines the Tokaj wine region with extensive river and floodplain landscapes. In Slovakia, Trebišov is considered the gateway to the Tokaj wine region. The region therefore offers different ways to explore it: cultural sightseeing in Trebišov, wine villages and cellars in the Tokaj area, and nature observation in Medzibodrožie and along the old branches of the Bodrog.

Culture and History in Trebišov

The museum in Trebišov is located in a Baroque-Classical chateau in the city park with a French garden. Its permanent exhibitions cover Tokaj viticulture and winemaking, including an archive of Tokaj wines; the history of agriculture in eastern Slovakia; the folk costume and traditional crafts of Zemplín; and historical tractors and internal combustion engines. Other focuses of the permanent exhibitions include steam ploughs, a cable plough, the development of threshing in eastern Slovakia, and archaeological monuments of Trebišov District.

One of the notable historic buildings is the Mausoleum of Count Július Andrássy. It was built in 1893 in the Neo-Gothic style according to a design by the German architect Arthur Meining. The sarcophagus dates from 1893 to 1895 and was created by the Budapest sculptor Juraj Zala. The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary has been a national cultural monument since 1963. Its Gothic net vaulting in the choir and nave contains Rococo paintings in 63 panels.

Wine Villages, Views and Waterways

Medieval Tokaj wine cellars along the Tokaj Wine Route are carved into volcanic tuff. The Tokaj lookout tower between Malá Tŕňa and Černochov offers an overview of the vineyards. The 12-metre-high tower is modelled on a wooden barrel. It has a shelter and a children’s playground, serves as a rest area for tourists, cyclists and families with children, and offers views of the Tokaj region and its vineyards.

The Bodrog also opens up the landscape from another perspective. A boat trip begins at a boat harbour behind Viničky and can continue to Sárospatak in Hungary or to Tokaj. At Borsi Rákóczi Castle, an interactive exhibition, an escape room, a virtual experience game and panoramic projections complement the cultural offering.

Protected Landscapes and Wildlife

Medzibodrožie consists of a network of river branches and periodically flooded habitats, with adjacent floodplain forests, floodplain meadows and pastures. The area protects characteristic breeding birds such as ferruginous duck, black tern, little egret, great egret, purple heron, Eurasian bittern, whiskered tern, common redshank and European bee-eater. The critically endangered European pond turtle regularly breeds in the Tajba area; waterfowl also occur there. Tajba National Nature Reserve is an old branch of the Bodrog and is subject to the strictest, fifth level of protection.

Further protected habitats are located in Trebišov District. The Boršiansky les protected area in the cadastral territory of Borša preserves, over 7.93 hectares, a habitat of European importance with lowland-type willow-poplar floodplain forests. Species of European importance recorded there include the stag beetle, thick-shelled river mussel and fire-bellied toad; protection levels 2 and 3 apply. Borsuk also contains a protected occurrence of thermophilous vegetation with rare protected plant species such as Dictamnus albus and Iris pumila. An obsidian deposit was discovered above the vineyards in the andesitic area.

The East Slovak Lowland is predominantly characterised by intensively farmed agricultural land. Its steppe character benefits several bird species. The administration of the Latorica Protected Landscape Area is responsible for the areas of Michalovce and Trebišov districts.

Cycling Routes Through Vineyards and Forests

Cyclists can choose between two differently routed trails. The Dolnozemplínska long-distance cycle route runs for 22.5 km from Čerhov to Viničky. A 3.5-km section runs between Borša and Viničky and continues towards Zemplín along the Bodrog embankment. The Lesíkom cycle path is 10.2 km long and connects Čerhov with Veľká Tŕňa through the forests of the Zemplín Hills. The routes run along forest roads between the two wine-growing villages.

For further local orientation, pages for Sečovce, Veľaty, Biel, Veľký Kamenec, Čierna Nad Tisou, Dobrá, Viničky, Trebišov and Veľká Tŕňa are available.

For the overarching travel overview: Košice.