Bárdudvarnok: Glass Art, Monastery History and Adventure Park

• The Goszthony Mansion in the district of Bárdibükk has been home to the International Glass Artists’ Colony since 1990.
• The 2.5-hectare adventure park in Zsippó includes a bird park with nearly 100 bird species.
• The display garden focuses on cultivating nearly 100 heritage and modern plant varieties.
• In Kaposszentbenedek, a new monastery based on a Scandinavian model was built on the site of a destroyed Benedictine monastery.
• Lake Petörke lies in the Petörke Valley at the foot of Bárdudvarnok, 3–4 km from Olajhegy.

The Goszthony Mansion in the district of Bárdibükk has been home to the International Glass Artists’ Colony since 1990. The date provides a clear historical reference point for this cultural attraction: the colony has been part of Bárdudvarnok’s history for decades.

Another historical trace leads to Kaposszentbenedek. During the Ottoman period, a Benedictine monastery there was destroyed. A new monastery based on a Scandinavian model was later built in its place. The sequence of destruction and rebuilding makes the site’s history easy to follow; the Scandinavian model characterizes the later building.

The adventure park in Zsippó covers 2.5 hectares and brings together two distinct themes: a bird park and a display garden. The bird park is home to nearly 100 bird species, including peacocks, parrots and waterfowl. It also includes 37 pigeon breeds and 26 chicken breeds.

The display garden focuses on cultivating nearly 100 heritage and modern plant varieties. The two figures of “nearly 100” therefore refer to different things: bird species and plant varieties. This makes it easy to distinguish the bird park’s focus on animals from the display garden’s emphasis on cultivation.

Near Bárdudvarnok, Lake Petörke lies in the Petörke Valley at the foot of the village. It is 3–4 km from Olajhegy. The valley, the lake’s location at the foot of Bárdudvarnok and its distance from Olajhegy provide a clear geographical context for this natural attraction.

In the broader travel destination of Southern Balaton, the Zselic Landscape Protection Area was awarded the title of International Dark Sky Park in 2009 because of its low light pollution. The Zselic Star Park was established in the heart of the protected area. The award and the park are two distinct but geographically connected aspects of the region’s natural attractions.

Somogy County is home to, among other places, Kis-Balaton, the Zselic Landscape Protection Area, Barcsi Ősborókás and Babócsai Basakert. Baláta lies between Kaszó and Szenta and is considered one of Somogy’s most valued natural assets. The wider Dráva active tourism network also forms part of this regional context: its section in Somogy County includes stops for water tourism; individual facilities may change during development.

If you are specifically looking for hotels in Bárdudvarnok, choose based on your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Nagybajom, Szenna, Kaposmérő, Zselickisfalud, Kaposszerdahely, Hencse, Kaposfő and Kaposújlak.

Since when has the Goszthony Mansion been home to the glass artists’ colony?

The International Glass Artists’ Colony has been based at the Goszthony Mansion in the district of Bárdibükk, Bárdudvarnok, since 1990.

What is the difference between the bird park and the display garden in Zsippó?

The bird park is home to nearly 100 bird species, as well as pigeon and chicken breeds. The display garden focuses on cultivating heritage and modern plant varieties.

Where is Lake Petörke?

The lake lies in the Petörke Valley at the foot of Bárdudvarnok, 3–4 km from Olajhegy.

For the broader travel overview: Kadarkúti.