Veľká Tŕňa: Tokaj Wine Cellars and Holiday Apartment

Veľká Tŕňa lies in the southern part of the East Slovak Lowland, at the southwestern foot of the Zemplín Mountains. Vineyards and hilly countryside surround the village; at the same time, historic cellars, churches and archaeological traces are among the defining themes of the place. Veľká Tŕňa is particularly closely associated with the Tokaj wine tradition, reflected in underground facilities, regional viticulture and wine-tasting venues.

Wine and Cellars

The Gazdovské pivnice consist of 33 stone portals leading to historic Tokaj wine cellars dating from the 15th century. Some historic wine cellars in Veľká Tŕňa date from the time of the Turkish wars. They are carved into the rock and extend 8 to 16 metres deep. The cellar area thus preserves different historical layers of the local wine landscape in an immediately tangible form.

Local winegrowers have cultivated vines for centuries on the slopes of the seven Tokaj municipalities of Čerhov, Veľká Tŕňa, Malá Tŕňa, Bara, Černochov, Viničky and Slovenské Nové Mesto. Veľká Tŕňa is also home to Ostrožovič, a winery with more than 30 years of wine-production history. Its wines have been awarded medals. When visiting Veľká Tŕňa, you can taste Tokaj wine and choose from up to ten varieties.

The company’s Tokaj House has wine cellars 13 metres underground as well as tasting rooms for around 100 people. The connection between viticulture, cellar architecture and wine tasting thus extends from the historic Gazdovské pivnice to a house specifically designed for this purpose.

Culture

The Veľká Tŕňa heritage protection zone safeguards the heritage values of the surroundings of the Tokaj wine cellars, including the access network and the connection to the adjacent settlement structure of the municipality of Veľká Tŕňa.

The Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in Veľká Tŕňa was built in 1828 in the Classicist style. It includes a four-storey tower with string courses and pilaster framing. Above it is a Baroque onion dome on a disc cornice beneath the roof.

The Reformed Church stands on a gentle slope above Veľká Tŕňa, at the edge of the settlement. Its western Romanesque section comprises the tower and gallery, while the eastern section was rebuilt in 1936 on Gothic foundations. The western gallery is considered the most valuable part of the Reformed Church.

Landscape and Trails

Several cycle paths and hiking trails for pedestrians run through the cadastral area of Veľká Tŕňa. The trails lie in a landscape shaped by the southern part of the East Slovak Lowland, the southwestern foot of the Zemplín Mountains, vineyards and hilly countryside.

History

The period before viticulture is also present in the area: Archaeological research between Veľká Tŕňa and Malá Tŕňa confirmed a Neolithic settlement of the Bukovohorská culture as well as extensive obsidian finds.

More pages about localities: Viničky, Trebišov, Veľký Kamenec, Biel, Veľaty, Sečovce, Dobrá, Čierna Nad Tisou.

To the higher-level travel overview: Trebišov District.