Trip to Hollókő village

I had a great day today!  My colleague took me to Hollókő village, a UNESCO world heritage site.  It's famous for its original AND traditional Hungarian houses.  It's also well-known for its pottery, which I couldn't pass up (pictures of the money I spent are forthcoming). There is also a castle there that we got to go see, which first appears in written history in 1310.  Here's a Wikipedia description of the town, which I found quite interesting:

In the middle of the 13th century, in the aftermath of the Mongol invasion, construction of Hollókő castle first began as a means to protect the area against future attacks. At this time, the area around Hollókő was held by the Kacsics noble clan. The castle was first mentioned in records in 1310.  The original village was built just below the castle walls. The Ottomans captured the castle in 1552 and for the next 150 years, control alternated between Ottoman and Hungarian forces. At the end of the Ottoman occupation (1683) the castle and the village were finally abandoned and the present village grew up below.  Many of the existing houses were first built around this time. The houses, which consist wood in their structure, have had to be rebuilt many times throughout the years due to periodic fires, the last being in 1909. In 1987, the village, castle ruins, and surrounding area were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holl%C3%B3k%C5%91 

Here is the location of the village on this handy-dandy map.

 Now for some pictures of the trip!

Beautiful countryside on the way...It really was outstanding and amazing.

 We drove for about an hour to get there.  It was like 4 Celsius (39 F), and I'm forever grateful that my wonderful mom sent me my trusty winter jacket.  I probably would have died without it!  

When we arrived, we were greeted with sights such as these:

 

Traditional houses with cobblestone street.  The street is sinking on the right/left edges.  It's hard to tell by this picture but there was probably a 6-9-inch elevation change between the edges of the streets and the center line.

Church with a black, burned-looking top.

Church again, with a Y-shaped crossroads.

Upon further exploration, we saw...

Walking through the forest to the castle.

Hollókő castle up top!

The only thing that could have made this view better was the lack of chainsaw sounds.

 

After some walking through the woods, we arrived at the top of the hill to the castle.  It had just opened and we were there right when it opened, so we got to go inside before ANYONE else was there.  It was awesome to be the only ones at such an old and frequented place.

Portrayal of a 13th century "Scene" in mannequins.

Mini-model of what the castle is supposed to look like (without broken walls, etc.)

Exterior castle wall.  I estimate that it's over 7 feet thick.

On the way back from the castle, there was an open air theater that they use in the summer. The setting couldn't have been more awesome.

Back in town, all the shops were now open.  The weather had warmed up and I could finally move around without feeling like my nose and fingers were gonna freeze off.

Obviously the church isn't a shop, but it looked cool in this picture so I put it up.

We spent several hours in the town, but on the way back, I felt compelled to take a picture of their "sign" that advertises the town.  It is a raven on top of a rock, because the town's name means "Raven Stone".  Pretty cool sign, I thought!

The Raven Stone of Hollókő

My souvenirs from this town are amazing.  Because they are known for their pottery, which is made in the town and not somewhere like Taiwan or something, I just HAD to buy something.  After much debating because they were pretty expensive, I ended up with these two things:

They're both made from pottery clay in the same building where I bought them.  Obviously one is a mug, but it is unique AND it's a legit piece of pottery.  I love the mug because it's slightly bigger than a standard coffee mug, so I can make tea with more water than a mug would let me.  The second thing is a bottle for the traditional Hungarian fruit liquor, Pálinka.  Pálinka has been explained to me as a type of brandy that is made from fruits, especially plums, peaches, and apricots, although there's lots of different types of it.  This bottle is what a Hungarian would use to store his/her Pálinka.  It's tall and thin so you can take it with you, like a flask.  I don't need the liquor because I just wanted the bottle--It's a real piece of tradition and culture, so I felt it was worth the $16 bucks I had to spend on it.  It's got some writing on the back but I have no idea what it says.

Overall, it was an amazing trip.  I can't believe tomorrow is Monday again already.......