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Our beautiful town is the centr ,oJJpkaj-Hegyalja, the most famous historic wine region in Hungary. This land was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its people's dedicated work and the unique natural endowment of the area, both making Tokaj a petuliareconomic and cultural region. Though Tokaji win,es are renowned all over the world, less may be known about the town. Our portql is designed to assist You in getting to know the home of "the wine of kings, and the king of wines" better and to attract You to the town of an exceptional atmosphere. Hopefully, we could arouse your interest and convince you that it is worth viSiting us and getting acquainted with the history of the region and a range of things that make Tokaj an incomparably exciting place.

The 70-80 kilometres long and 3-4 kilometres wide vineyards of Tokaj Foothills lie in the south¬eastern and south-western regions of Zemplen Mount. The areas, which are suitable for first-, and second class plantation, exceed the 7000 hectares, but to tell the truth only 5000 hectares are cultivated. 28 settlements belong to the historically most famous wine region of Hungary in the Sator-hill at Satoraljaujhely and Abaujszanto, and Kopasz-hill at Tokaj. The unique aptitude of Tokaj due to the existence of favourable factors. The volcanic soil (clay, loess), the sunny slopes and the climate - determined by Bodrog and Tisza rivers - are all those factors which make the region unique. It secures extremely favourable enviroment to the botrytis cinera and then the process of botrytis. The wines are matured in cellars carved in rock, where the standard temperature is 12°C and the humidity is 95%, which is ideal to the maturation of wines.

Other speciality of the region is that the contracting areas differ from genetically and economically as well. The Great Hungarian Plain and the Zemplen Mount (Eperjes-Tokaji-hill) meet there. The Tokaji-hill itself is the volcanic cone of the Eperjes-Tokaji mountain chain. It is 514 metres high and towers above the regions (Bodrogkoz, Taktakoz, Nyirseg), which are 100 metres high above the sea level.

The terrain of Tokaj-hill (and Tokaj Foothills) is extraordinarily divided: valleys, water flowings form the Iow central chain. Although, its surface was formed for million years, the original volcanic forms disappeared or changed, its volcanic origin is striking for the first sight. These volcanos worked 9-15 million years ago, they formed the rocks of Tokaj-Foothills variedly in Europe. The volcanic rocks" were pulled down and formed by post-volcanic processes.

The soil has influence on Foothills as well, which varied from village to village from vineyards to vineyards.

The soil originated from the detritus of the most widespread volcanic rocks. If the soil is wet, it becomes sticky and stick to the spade; but if it dries up it can be cultivated only by pickaxe. It imbibes water hard. Its red color caused by iron-hidroxide and because of the increasing humus content it becomes darker.

The second determining soil is the "yellow land" which was formed from loess. Its types are the slope loess and sandy loess, which can be found on the Tokaj-hill or on the hills north from Olaszliszka. The loess is mainly characteristic of the southern regions, but spreads towards the edge of Foothills, Hernad and the Great Hungarian Plain.

Sandstone powder is among the main types of soil, which is originally formed by mechanical crumbling of silicified rock and pomice-stone. But the sandstone powder is exactly the rubble of white rhyolite, pumice-stone and perlite. It is bound a bit, not easy to shape and do not store the water. Its heat capacity is bad because vine-stocks get scorched in case of drought, but freeze in winter.

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The unique feature of the situation of Tokaj is raised by the fact that the Bodrog river flows into Tisza river directly at the foot of the hill. The dividing estuary and the diversity give an odd view. From the point of view of biology it is beautiful place of backwaters, mortlakes, swamps, meadows.

The climate of Tokaj is similar to the Great Plain and continental and extreme temperature characterize. At the foot of the hill the average temperature is 9-10 °C, 21 0 in July and -3C in January. On the slopes the temperature is warmer with a half degree. The average fluctuation of temperature is 13°, which means that generally the long, sunny summer is combined with the dry and sunny autumn. It makes the grapes possible to ripen. The amount of precipitation is 591 mm - an average of 90 years - and refers to the situation of the neighbouring Great Plain.

The best vineyards of Foothills situate on the southern foot of the mountain, which are defended from northern and north-western wind by woody peaks. These southern parts are opened to the sunny plain, which does not allow freezing and its rivers, swamps keep humidity high. The landscape is very beautiful at dawn in autumn: this fog keeps the botrytis cinerea alive (it causes the botrytis of grapes).

The fauna of Tokaj and its environs is unique and exceptional. The flora and fauna of the mountaionous region and plain mix here. Floristically it is the district (Tokajense) of the Hungarian sector (Pannonicum) of the floristic region (Matricum). The area of the southern part is really precious (oak trees, loess mown, meadows etc.). 17 types of orchid live on the hill.

Special fauna belongs to the special flora. More than two-third of the nearly 300 spices are protected. Tokaj and its surrounding have unique aptitude which is really known by experts. The Tokaj-Bodrogk6z Landscape-Protection Area takes care of the region, which was declared in August of 1986 with 4 941 hectares.

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known portrayal remained from that time because Rakoczy Gy6rgy I. had it planned with Italian military engineers.

Today only one wall of the castle can be found on the left side of the Bodrog river, where blocks of flats stand, the former place of the castle is tombs of the Jewish. The cemetery is attended regularly and the Jewish cemetery of today is situated at the northern entrance of the city.

On the main square stands the statue of St. Stephen (peterfy Laszlo, 2000). The square is also decorated by the so called Bacchus-well at the foreground of the building of Hetsz616 Plc. The Hetsz616 Plc. owns the Rak6czy cellar, where the parliament declared the coronation of Szapolyai Janos (1527).

The castle had role in the war of independence lead by Rakoczy Ferenc H. It was reoccupied from the pro-Austrian soldiers by its landlord in the winter of 1704-5. The reigning prince gave an order to Patay Samuel (was the constable of the castle at that time) to destroy the castle. We do not know exactly his incentive, we can only guess it.

Looking back the main square of the town the stone statue of Nepomuki St. John stands on a stone pillar behind the choir of the Roman Catholic church.(13jpg.) (1802., Jesper L6rinc) It stood at the bridgehead of Tokaj.

After the lost war of independence the emigrated Rakoczy Ferenc's seized fortune was owned by the Royal Treausry. The centre of the treasury was in Tarcal and the villages - including Ladany, Timar, Rakamaz, Tokaj - were ruled from there. The entrance of the Lutheran church also decorates the main square which was built in 1799 and was allegedly used since 1800.

The Greek Commercial House can be found at the Derekutca. One of them was owned by the Morelli and the other (today is the Tokaj Museum) was by the Christmas family's shop and house. It was built in the last fifth of the XVIII. century.

The fv1u uilJ gives place to the grape and wine ethnographical exhibition. On the first floor we can find Beres Bela's collection of ecclesiastic history. On the ground floor there is room for temporary exhibitions, which were shops. There is a cellar under the building. There are Wine exhibitions in the second wing and stone regional historical objects in its yard.

The Tokaj Orthodox Church was established by Greek traders and the Russian wine consuming Committee. Its church (built in 1788-90) is parallelled with Vasvari Pal utca, which original name is Orosz utca.

When we leave the street built together, we can see the former Paulite Monastery on the left (today is a health children's home). The northern gate of the town could stand on the southern corner of the building. There were hardly any buildings, only the Bercsenyi manor-house and behind it was the Roman Catholic hospital. Then we reach the patko mine. The abandoned square of the quarry closes the picture of the town and our trip frightfully.

Welcome to the Tokaj Museum. Let's visit the museum, know the unique values of Tokaj-Foothills and taste the world-famous Tokaji before its makers.

The beautiful building stands on the main square of Tokaj, which was a Greek commerce house and was bulit in 1790 by the Christmas family. In the XIX. century it was owned by the Szaszaraths who were important traders in Tokaj. The imposing building gives place to a permanent museum and temporary exhibitions, The dwelling house is decorated inside and outside. In a small room on the ground floor, from which I greet you, we can see panorama decorating. It suggests that we stand on the bank of the llsza river

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two hundred years ago and take delight in the surrounding mountainous, bushy, wooded and romantic sight.

Walking upstairs - step by step on the more than two hundred year-old stairs - we can get to know everything which helped Foothills to become well-known and famous. The different factors together give the uniqueness of this area for centuries. Tokaj-Foothills is the first closed wine region in the world and the triangle shaped area among Abaujszanto, Tokaj, Satoraljaujhely include smaller and larger settlements. It starts with Sator-hill at Abaujszanto and finishes with Sator-hill at Satoraljaujhely. "Incipit in Sator, definit in Sator" - as the old phrase says. It has so values that explain why we consider it to the inheritance of the world. In 30 July, 2002 Tokaj was declined as part of the world inheritance, in the category of culture region by Unesco.

Perhaps the most valuable exhibition is Beres Bela collection of church religious art among the permanent exhibitions. Beres Bela, dean-parson of Tokaj, offered his collection to the museum in 1981. The collection - on the first floor - can be separated into two big parts. Varied objects represent the Northern-Hungarian church religious art (paintings, corpus-collection). The precious icon-collection and objects of applied arts give an overall picture of the Metabyzantine memories. Some Baroque statues - works of nuns, souvenirs of Jewish - are remarkable pieces among the objects. Given books; for example German publications, Russian and Ukrainian books with woodcuts; enrich the museum.

The Tisza and Bodrog rivers and their flood areas determined the people's way of life for centuries. At that time fishing was as important as wine-growing and winemaking. Today the area is one of the centres of Tisza-control, the destination of shipping with river engineer office. The river had an important role in transportation between the Carpathians and the Great Plain in the previous centuries. It was a reloading and receiving point of important commercial and military routes. Our exhibition entitled 'Shipping and fishing on the Tisza and Bodrog' speaks about it and other interesting and less known memories.

The exhibition introducing the past of the wine-growing and winemaking of Foothills and its wine commercial development on the loft. The real sight of the loft is the chimneys. The visitor can see the exhibited objects (collection of different types of grapes, agricultural tools, labels, souvenirs of vintages, padlocks of cellars etc.) and document (given privilige-, and protection letters). The bigger objects; the cart which transported wines, the production of cooperage; got place between the chimneys. Here people can get to know everything which is in connection with wine-growing, the process of winemaking till the storing in cellars. After these, your only task is to follow me to the world under the ground: to the cellars!

There is a cellar system under the building according to the traditions of Foothills. The cellar is a separate world. It has romance and spirit. Mikszath was right wheli., he said: "The world under the ground is to have the overground forgotten." These cellars are more hundred years old and this is the reason why it has special atmosphere. The bottles, used for storing, indicates the special way of 'the wine of king's' storage. In the branches we can see the casks and the bottled wines of the most famous winemaker companies can be found in one of the branches. The Tokaji Oremus, Tokaji Hetszolo, Chateau Pajzos and Megyer, Count Degenfeld Winery, Sajgo Winery, Royal Tokaj Wine Co., Tokaj Commercial House, Tokaj Disznoko introduce their products here.

When we come upstairs we can see the beginning or the end of the Tokaj Museum. There are portraits and quotations from famous people of the world and from Hungary who liked Tokaji and helped it to become world famous with their sayings and writings. Who could resist an original wine-tasting after these? Or a hot Tokaj soup, mallard with Muskotaly grape, or a soft sweet sponge cake made with curd and flavoured with vanilia and raisins.