Travel Guide Szekszárd

Located north of Mohács, Szekszárd began to develop after the expulsion of the Turks. The city and the department of Tolna were, for centuries, royal domains. The church, of late Baroque style, built in 1805, is the largest church in one central European nef. West of Sárköz (famous for its folklore craft) on the southern slopes and is the slopes of Szekszárd, lies the heart of this wine-growing region, one of Hungary's most dynamic after Villány. On these slopes, landslides, which are not infrequent, tear down the layers of sand and silica formed under the letus. The famous red land of Szekszárd, which owes its color to light oxidation, has prospered, for hundreds of years, szekszárdi vörös (Szekszárd red). The best wines come from these steep slopes. Although the kadarka is no longer sold in bottles, this elegant grape, which once made Szekszárd famous, must be mentioned. It is for this wine of a beautiful garat color and to the particular bouquet that Franz Liszt often used «pilgrimages» in Szekszárd, and it is perhaps his beneficial effect that we owe some of his works. As for the reputation of the kadarka of Szekszárd, it was doubtless further raised following a small sentence by Pope Pike IX, when, ill, he received that wine from Franz Liszt: " This is what keeps my health and good humor. " According to some nineteenth century wine connoisseurs, Szekszárd's red wine was of superior quality than the red wine of Bordeaux. Besides Eger, only Szekszárd has the right to market its wine under the controlled name of bikavér (bull blood).The many wine cellars in the city offer tastings and the wine museum in Szekszárd, featuring great wines and objects related to wine growing.Finally, if you pronounce a little Hungarian, you will notice that this city has the most 'sexy' name of the country since it pronounces [Sex - ard]!