Trebišov – Castle, Churches and Tokaj Wine Growing

Trebišov between Castle History, Ecclesiastical Art and Tokaj

Trebišov is suitable for you if you would like to combine a journey through south-eastern Slovakia with tangible history, museum culture and wine growing. The focal point is the late Baroque castle, which was later remodelled in the Classical style and built in 1786 by Count Imrich Csáky. Today, it houses the regional museum; its exhibitions also extend to adjacent listed buildings.

Castle and Museum as a Diverse Cultural Venue

The museum’s guided tours focus on different subjects. The first tour is dedicated to the Andrássy family and the castle in Trebišov, including Tokaj wine growing. The second leads to the archaeology of southern Zemplín and the treasury of the Štefan Dobó family. The third tour focuses on hunting and wildlife protection, folk woodcarving, traditional crafts and agricultural machinery.

The permanent exhibitions also expand this picture of the region. They cover Tokaj wine growing and winemaking with an archive of Tokaj wines, the history of agriculture in eastern Slovakia, the folk costumes and traditional crafts of Zemplín, as well as historic tractors and internal combustion engines. Steam ploughs and cable ploughs are also featured, along with the development of threshing in eastern Slovakia and archaeological monuments in the Trebišov District. A tasting of Tokaj wines is also part of the museum’s offerings.

Historic Park and Cycling Tourism

The historic city park is part of Trebišov’s character. Its design began in the last third of the 18th century in connection with the construction of the castle. The park developed from an original floodplain forest and covers 62 hectares. Historic as well as naturally occurring coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs and other plants grow there. The Bučov les health area in the forest park serves residents and visitors as part of cycling tourism. In this way, Trebišov connects its castle and urban history with an extensive landscape, without requiring nature and culture to be viewed separately.

Churches, Mausoleum and Medieval Traces

Several religious buildings add to the historic profile. The Greek Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was built between 1818 and 1825 and consecrated on 28 August 1825, on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The interior restoration was completed in 1886. A carved iconostasis and a pulpit by the woodcarver Peter Kovaliczky were added at that time; the dominant icon depicts the death of the Virgin Mary.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary dates back to an original building from before 1404. This Gothic architectural monument has a net-vaulted ceiling with 63 fields. Inside are eight compositions from the life of the Virgin Mary, twelve paintings from the legendary life of Saint Paul of Thebes, and two monumental Rococo paintings from 1777.

The Neo-Gothic mausoleum of Count Július Andrássy was built in 1893 to a design by the German architect Arthur Meining. It contains a sarcophagus by the Budapest sculptor Juraj Zala, created between 1893 and 1895; Count Július Andrássy has been buried there since 1894. The two-storey Pauline monastery, built in 1502 at the instigation of Palatine Imrich from the Perényi family, also forms part of the historical heritage.

Parič and the History of Transit Trade

The water castle of Parič offers another gateway to the region’s history. Its first construction phase as an early Gothic lowland water castle is dated to the 12th or 13th century; the polygonal stone fortification was built at the beginning of the 14th century. The complex included an early Gothic palace, an entrance tower and a stone-lined well in the castle courtyard. Polish groschen and Hungarian silver coins found at Parič attest to transit trade with Poland between the 15th and 17th centuries.

More Destinations

For an additional selection, you can also visit Veľaty, Sečovce, Čierna Nad Tisou, Dobrá, Viničky, Veľká Tŕňa, Veľký Kamenec and Biel.

To the higher-level travel overview: Trebišov District.