Pusté Úľany: Water Landscape and Sacred Buildings

Water, floodplains and tranquil nature experiences

Pusté Úľany combines a distinctive water landscape with remarkable sacred buildings and a history that can be read in several parts of the village. The local water system comprises six ponds, three streams and three irrigation channels. Fishing is possible on several streams and ponds in the surroundings of Pusté Úľany. The local bodies of water also offer opportunities for swimming in nature; during the winter months, the ponds also serve as natural ice-skating rinks.

A characteristic landscape area is the Čierna voda, which forms the southern boundary of the cadastral area of Pusté Úľany. There you will find old meanders, that is, former river bends, as well as riverside vegetation, wetlands, meadows, and willow and poplar stands. The local floodplain forests are suitable for hiking, while the surrounding area is well suited to cycling. The floodplain landscape is also interesting for birdwatching.

The area of the Úľanské rybníky and floodplains was designated under Natura 2000 as a Special Protection Area for birds of national and pan-European significance. Critically endangered plants, endangered plants and other highly threatened species occur in the area. More than 1% of the national populations of Ixobrychus minutus, Galerida cristana, Coturnix coturnic, Falco vespertinus, Falco cherrug and Milvus migrans regularly breed here. Thus, alongside water and paths, the village’s distinctive natural habitats are also a central part of its character.

Historic villagescapes and churches

The cultural heritage of Pusté Úľany includes the Baroque roadside statues of Saint John of Nepomuk and Saint Florian. They were commissioned in 1734 by Gašpar Farkaš and his wife Magda Baloghová. Near the centre stands the manor house, with a seven-bay main façade and a three-bay, raised risalit, a projecting part of the building. At the upper end of the village stands a column with a sculptural group of the Holy Trinity. It was probably erected by the Marcell family in 1903.

In the park in front of the Roman Catholic church stands the monument to those who fell in the First World War. It was erected in 1941 and contains a fragment of an old Baroque column. The Church of Saint Ladislaus stands near the centre, west of the road to Pavlice on Pavlická ulica. Its one-manual organ with eight stops and a pedal dates from 1898.

Further sacred buildings add to the village’s character. The Baroque Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was built in 1742; its vaults are decorated with a Baroque depiction of an open sky and two floating angels. The Neo-Gothic Chapel of Saint Joseph was built in 1866 and contains a polychrome statue of Saint Joseph. The evangelical church was originally a Renaissance church, was mentioned as an Articular church in 1660, and was rebuilt in the Classical style after a fire in 1820. It stands in the southwest of Pusté Úľany on the so-called Luther Hill.

If you would like to place Pusté Úľany within a broader selection of destinations, you can find Vozokany, Tomášikovo, Horné Saliby, Šintava, Sereď, Matúškovo, Zemianske Sady and Šalgočka here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Galanta.