Discover Mezőberény

• The Reformed Church on Kálvin tér was built in 1804 by Czigler Antal in the Late Baroque style.
• The German Evangelical Church dates from 1789; its altarpiece is by Orlai P. Soma.
• The Roman Catholic Church was built in 1886, consecrated on 14 September, and is locally protected.
• Since 2002, the collection of the Orlai Petrics Soma Museum has been housed in Wenckheim-Fejérváry Castle, at Fő út 1–3.
• The Liget, which covers more than five hectares, was designated a locally significant nature reserve in 1994.

The three churches offer different starting points for exploring Mezőberény’s cultural history. At the Reformed Church on Kálvin tér, you can connect its year of construction and Late Baroque style with the name of its builder, Czigler Antal. A bust of Gábor Bethlen also stands in the church garden. This makes the architecture and a specific garden feature part of the same place.

The German Evangelical Church offers a different historical perspective: it was built in 1789 in the Baroque style, and its altarpiece is by Orlai P. Soma. The Roman Catholic Church, in turn, was built by Fejérváry Miklósné Kárász Karolina. Its eclectic design and local protected status are part of its history, as is its consecration on 14 September 1886. Fejérváry Celestine, the builder’s daughter, is buried in the church garden. The dates and architectural features help distinguish the churches without reducing them to a single era.

If you are interested in local art and the history of collections, Wenckheim-Fejérváry Castle is an important landmark: the collection of the Orlai Petrics Soma Museum has been housed there since 2002, at Fő út 1–3. The artist is also connected to the German Evangelical Church, whose altarpiece is by Orlai P. Soma. This links two different cultural sites in Mezőberény through a shared name.

The Liget offers a landscape contrast to the churches and museum. Its size of more than five hectares and its designation as a locally significant nature reserve in 1994 give the park its own importance in the townscape. If you are weighing culture and nature when choosing a destination, Mezőberény offers both specific historic buildings and a designated protected area.

In the wider Békés destination, Körösvölgyi Animal Park is set in a 26-hectare woodland. A walking trail of about two kilometres passes bird aviaries, animal houses, wetlands, and spacious enclosures. At the Sterbetz István Bustard Conservation Visitor Centre, this is the only place in Hungary where visitors can see great bustards up close. Guided tours, birdwatching, nature photography, themed programmes, and astronomy presentations can be requested there.

The trails in the wider Békés destination also differ in length and access. The Mágor-pusztai Trail is just over 500 metres long and introduces visitors to the natural and cultural-historical values of the protected area. The Jégmadár Water Nature Trail runs along a one-kilometre stretch of the Szarvas–Békésszentandrás oxbow lake and has eight floating buoy stations. It is accessible only by canoe or boat; the stations introduce visitors to the oxbow lake and its wildlife and plant life, particularly those travelling by canoe or rowing boat without an expert guide. These differences are useful when choosing: one trail is a short land route, while the other requires a watercraft.

Discover more destinations: Doboz, Békés, Köröstarcsa, Bélmegyer.

Where is the collection of the Orlai Petrics Soma Museum housed?

Since 2002, it has been housed in Wenckheim-Fejérváry Castle at Fő út 1–3.

What distinguishes the three churches in Mezőberény?

The Reformed Church on Kálvin tér is Late Baroque and was built in 1804. The German Evangelical Church dates from 1789 and has an altarpiece by Orlai P. Soma. The Roman Catholic Church, built in 1886, has an eclectic design and is locally protected.

When was the Liget protected?

The Liget, which covers more than five hectares, was designated a locally significant nature reserve in 1994.

To the wider travel overview: Békés.