Discovering Hövej

Greetings all!  I hope those of you in the U.S. enjoyed a wonderful, long holiday weekend.  I just returned from eight days of traveling.  Last Saturday I flew to Vienna to spend the week with family and friends in Austria and Hungary.  It was a wonderful week!  Over the next few days I will share pictures from my trip with you.

Those of you that have been reading my blog for a long time already know that Burgenland holds a special place in my heart.  My maternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Austria/Hungary in 1904 (grandfather) and 1906 (grandmother).  Recently it occurred to me that we (the family here in the U.S.) have maintained contact with them (the family in Austria) for 108 years - that's a long time!  Each trip to Burgenland is a journey of discovery - learning more about the people, the places, and the culture that are a part of my history.  This trip was another learning experience in my journey.

My purpose for travel this time was to learn more about my grandfather's side of the family.  My grandfather was born and raised in Wallern which is located today in Burgenland, Austria.  His father and his father's brother, Fabian and Johann Nyikos, were born in Hövej, which is located just across the border in Hungary.  Last summer I visited Hövej for the first time, but on this trip I spent more time there and in some of the surrounding villages.

The village of Hövej "the village of lace" is very small; approximately 350 people live there.  The village is just over 750 years old.  In the center of the village, is the Catholic Church which was built in 1761. When we visited last year, we were not able to go inside the church, but this time I was able to.  It's quite beautiful.  Note the embroidered altar cloths.

The other notable buildings are the City Hall, and two lace museums, all are within a block or two of each other.  Here is City Hall...

Next door to City Hall is the lace museum (Csipke Museum), a permanent exhibit in Hövej...

The lace exhibit for Mrs. Istvánné Szigethy is also located nearby...

There is a small chapel near the church; Our Lady of Sorrows chapel - it is under renovation...

And just a short walk down the street is the Lourdes chapel...

Here are some additional views of this quiet little village in Hungary...

The local people agreed to let me take their photo...

But the real reason for visiting Hövej...to see the unique embroidery/lace that it is famous for.

Next post will include more pictures of the beautiful Hövej lace!