Dear Visitor!

"Querens invento pulsans hic gaudet aperto" – "The one who searches is happy to find, the one who knocks to be let in", said the notice on the gate of the former church of Zalavár. All those interested in the history of Zala county, are heartily invited and welcome. In our historical memorial park we open a time capsule to fly the visitors back in time, into the atmosphere of glorious past days.

Who are we, the inhabitants of Zala? Where do we come from? What makes up our inheritance from the past centuries? We hope that the memorial park and this brochure will help our visitors to answer these questions.

The abundant sacral and secural heritage hidden beneath our feet is continuously being revealed by the permanent archaeological excavations.

This is the place where Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius carried out their missionary activity who, together with Saint Benedict, were declared the patron saints of Europe by the Pope John Paul II. This is the place where St. Benedict’s sons erected churches and an abbey to the glory of God in the spirit of Ora et Labora! (Pray and work). In the ancient times this area was the territory of chief Bulcsú and according to the legend Búvár Kund (Diver Kund) set off from here to sink the German ships attacking the country.

The facility entrusted with notarial functions had authority even in Somogy county at the beginning of the Turkish times. The Blessed Virgin’s Chapel was a preferred destination of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.

The heritage and religions of several nations are concentrated here to get along well with each other. As an evidence of this a collection of Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovenian and Austrian monuments stands in the park. Thanks to the several-year long exemplary cooperation of the Local Government of Zala County, the village of Zalavár and the West-Transdanubian Environmental and Water Directorate, visitors are welcomed in a constantly developing memorial park.

Come to visit our historical memorial park and enjoy yourselves.

 Jenő Manninger, President of the Assembly of Zala County