Szólád: Church Building History and Loess Cellar Row

You can discover Szólád through several different stories: the Nepomuki Szent János Church, the Szólád loess cellar row and a cycling loop from Szólád via Nezdepuszta. The church brings together a complete renovation in 2021 and building materials from the ruins of a Pauline monastery. The cellar row tells of its former use, while the tour loops back to the cellar row. This way, you’ll encounter architectural history, a historical interpretation and a specific cycling route—different points of interest from which to shape your stay.

The church and reused building materials

The Nepomuki Szent János Church in Szólád was completely renovated in 2021. Bricks and dressed stones from the ruins of the Pauline monastery at Mindszent, in the area of Balatonszemes, were used in its construction. Two periods meet here: the renovation marks a dated intervention at the church, while the origin of the reused materials points to the former monastery ruins. For travelers who enjoy exploring tangible traces of architectural history, this story of the materials offers a distinct way to understand the church. You can consider it alongside the history of the cellar row to discover two very different aspects of Szólád’s past.

The loess cellar row and its history

The Szóládi löszpincesor, or Szólád loess cellar row, offers another way to explore the town’s history. One historical interpretation holds that its original purpose was to hide wine from the tax authorities. The cellars therefore reflect a former economic motive, while the church tells a story of building materials from a monastery. More than 100 cellars in the Szólád loess cellar row are still in use today. A sign in the town center points the way; check the directions again on site. Together, the historical interpretation and the present-day use of the cellar row give it a distinct place in Szólád’s local history.

By bike: the “Szólád kincsei” loop

The “Szólád kincsei” cycling tour offers a different focus. It runs from Szólád via Nezdepuszta and back to the Szólád loess cellar row, forming a loop. Its destination is therefore the same cellar row that is also interesting as a separate part of the town’s history. The described route leads from the starting point via a named intermediate stop and back to Szólád. If you’d rather follow a route on vacation than focus on individual historical topics, the loop gives you a concrete reason to explore Szólád by bike as well.

A summer festival with a documented history

A seasonal cultural event is also part of Szólád: a municipal profile from 2019 described the “Ízek Versek Madárfütty” festival as having been held every summer since 2016. If the festival is important to your stay, check the dates for your year before traveling.

South Balaton: another perspective

The wider South Balaton destination also offers a regional nature perspective: the Zselici Tájvédelmi Körzet received the title of International Dark Sky Park in 2009 because of its low light pollution, and the Zselici Csillagpark was built in the heart of the protected area. This information adds a protected area and a star park located there to the picture of South Balaton. The stories of Szólád’s church and cellars can thus be seen alongside another regional point of interest.

Choose your stay based on your interests

Your preferred vacation focus may help you choose a holiday rental in Szólád: the church and cellar row offer different ways to explore local history, while “Szólád kincsei” is a cycling loop with Nezdepuszta as an intermediate stop. If you’re mainly interested in a seasonal event, check that the festival dates match your travel period. This can help you decide whether cultural history, cycling or a specific event date should shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Kötcse, Balatonföldvar, Balatonszárszó, Koröshegy, Balatonőszöd, Teleki, Nagycsepely, Balatonszemes.

Go to the wider travel overview: Balatonföldvári.