Nyírcsaholy on the Kraszna: Horse Riding and Pilgrimage

On the Banks of the Kraszna

Nyírcsaholy lies on the left bank of the Kraszna. Its landscape setting also has two aspects: one part of the settlement belongs to the Nyírség, while another is part of the former Ecsedi-láp. This means that the river and two distinct landscape areas can help guide your choice of location. If you take a place’s character into account when planning your holiday, this setting offers a specific reason to consider Nyírcsaholy.

Horse-Riding Activities and Pilgrimage

Főnix Park lies on the border between Mátészalka and Nyírcsaholy and regularly holds open days. The programme includes animal petting, a look at farm life, fruit-making, horse riding and other activities. Check the current dates before your visit. The park also offers riding lessons for beginners and advanced riders; make arrangements in advance. For its autumn rides, the park recommends that participants have secure riding skills, and the required ability is agreed in advance. This helps distinguish lessons from autumn rides according to the stated skill levels.

A different kind of occasion is the pilgrimage for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. For many decades, nearly a hundred people have set out from Nyírcsaholy on Saturday morning and made the pilgrimage to Máriapócs, 36 kilometres away, regardless of their religious denomination. The religious occasion is clearly identified, but participation is not limited to any denomination. If you would like to plan your trip around the pilgrimage, check the current schedule in advance.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Nyírcsaholy, your reason for travelling can help determine when to go: for open days, check the dates; for riding lessons, make arrangements in advance; and for the pilgrimage, check the current schedule. This lets you plan around the experience that is actually bringing you to Nyírcsaholy.

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg: Nature and Culture in the Wider Region

Elsewhere in the wider destination of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, other places offer their own natural highlights. The Bátorligeti Ancient Moor is a strictly protected area of about 53 hectares; it preserves the different stages in the vegetation and landscape history of the Alföld plain particularly well. Near Csaroda are Nyíres-tó and Báb tava, distinctive peat bogs whose origins date back to the Ice Age. In Tiszadob, a 1,000-hectare nature reserve encompasses oxbow lakes, floodplain forests and grassland. A large heron colony of 80 to 90 pairs nests in Tölgyes Forest. Together, these examples offer insight into the region’s different types of peatland and protected habitats.

The region’s architectural and museum history is also spread across different places in the wider destination of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. Vaja’s Renaissance Vay Castle houses the Vay Ádám Museum Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. At Báthori Castle in Nyírbátor, a permanent exhibition and a waxwork display depict members of the Báthori family in period settings. Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob was built between 1880 and 1885 in the French Gothic style by former Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy, to plans by Ignác Alpár. The region’s cultural range thus extends from a museum collection and a portrayal of a family to the architectural history of a castle.

Discover more destinations: Papos, Nyírmeggyes, Mátészalka, Géberjén

See the overview of the wider destination: Mátészalkai.