About Lónya
To get to Lónya go east from Benk and cross the river Tisza on a ferry boat. It lies by the Ukrainian border in the northern-Bereg hills. The visitor is welcomed by small huts, tradition-loving, hard-working people, and wooden headboards on tombs with a poem on each one. According to the folk legend shepherds and wood-carvers established the village in the Bereg Tiszahát region, and the largest landowner family - who played a great role in the life of the county - named themselves Lónyay, after the name of the village. Towards the end of the 14th century the settlement split into Kis - and Nagylónya. The Lónyay family lived in Nagylónya in a fort or castle, which was ruined either for political reason or by the family, or might have been destroyed by the Turks in 1567. Kis and Nagylónya were united as Lónya in 1934. The village used to lie closer to the river, but the inhabitants had to move further up, to the current position, because of frequent floods. Although the village was rebuilt, there are still a few special barns left, the so-called alley-barns; these are characteristic, because they were built lengthwise on the narrow, long strips of land occupying the whole width of the yard, and forming a wall-like row of barns. These barns can be seen in Kossuth or in Árpád Street. Today, most of the 900 inhabitants live by the main street and produce mainly wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, apples, walnuts and plums.
The village is a small one, but even a town could envy the sights. At 91 Kossuth Street is the 13th century historic reformed church built in roman style, with painted wooden boards on the ceiling. The church has one nave and no steeple; the frescoes in the shrine probably made in the 14th century were white-washed, but the traces of the frescoes on the northern wall were still visible in 1881. The painted wooden ceiling is from the 18th century. The hexagonal, lace-like top of the multi-level pulpit was made in 1776, and is decorated with snakes and pigeons. In the churchyard is the historic peasant reformed wooden bell tower, which has four pinnacles. It was built in 1781. The roof and the body of the bell tower are covered with wooden shingles; it is 26.5 metres high with the four pinnacles. This bell tower is one of the most significant historic buildings; it is slim, proportionate, and its roof is higher than usual. It is also interesting because the whole tower was built without using any metal nails. The crypt of the Lónyay family can be seen in the famous Lónya cemetrey, where there are wooden headboards made of thick oak trees. The historic crypt was built in neo-gothic style in the 19th century, for those members of the noble family who were buried here.
A 6.3 hectare castle park surrounded the Lónyay castle, and although the castle was destroyed in a fire in 1965, the walk in the famous and unique horse chestnut tree rows still exist. There are also five pyramid oaks, each about 26 metres high and 120 years old, as well as some maple trees which also must be about 100 years old. The richness of nature is also proved by a healthy elm tree in the Long-pasture, which is 25 metres high, and 3 metres in circumference. By the dead channel of the small-Tisza, is a 29 metre-high white poplar, 10 metres in circumference, while on the bank of the channel there is the 22 metre-high "Lónya border tree". The Lónya forest is part of the Szatmár-Bereg Nature Reservation District. The forest by the border is scattered with beautiful hornbeam and oak trees, as well as ash and elm trees. On the southern edge is the so-called Mélyéger alder moor. In the north it is bordered by the country border and the Csaronda stream. The older species of the oak, ash, and elm trees in the 407 hectare grove are about 70-80 years old, but even the younger ones are older than 50 years. The grove is so isolated that red deer are only found here in the Bereg forests; there are about 50 of them, and some have capital antlers. Wild boars and roes, as well as black storks and wild cats can often be seen here. There are also vipers living here, so it is recommended to wear rubber boots when walking in the forest. Outside Lónya a hunting lodge is waiting for the hunters.
General information: the Mayors Office is at 39 Kossuth Street, tel: 45/443-001. The physician is at 20 Rózsa Street, tel: 45/443-004. The district police station is in Tiszaszalka. The area code is #45. The railway station is in Vásárosnamény (35 km) or in Záhony (17km) when the ponton bridge is working, the bus stop is in the village. Accommodation is at 68 Árpád Street, in the tourist hut which has 30 beds. Information can be obtained from the Mayors Office.
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