INCENTIVE: On the trail of Hungarian pottery heritage

Magyarszombatfa is a tiny village in the West of Hungary known for its pottery making tradition, only a 30-minute drive from the Mjus World Resort & Thermal Park in Körmend. The abundant, high-quality clay of the Őrség region enabled the trade of pottery to evolve. By the beginning of the 20th century, almost every house in the region made pottery.

Today, the art of making pottery is a rare skill, but those familiar with the craft in the region, will know who Karel Dončec was. He was a Slovenian master-potter, who lived and worked around the town of Körmend, receiving numerous awards for his work and even being named the master of folk craft in Hungary. Despite many master potters in Hungary passing away, the craft did not lose its charm. In fact, the opposite happened. Many foreign guests weren’t familiar with the pottery trade and opening up the old pottery houses provided the perfect opportunity to bring them closer to Hungarian heritage. The unique style is still proudly carried on by a few local masters in their small workshops and shelved shops.

A perfect example is the pottery-house in Magyarszombatfa, which showcases the typical dwelling that a craftsman would live in. The pottery houses have a distinct Pannonian architecture with pitched straw roofs and white facades. These kind of pottery houses are scattered throughout Western Hungary and in many of them, you will be able to buy some typical mugs and pots sold by the kind locals.

Staying true to tradition, the village of Magyarszombatfa even hosts their annual International Pottery Festival and Fair, this year, already in its 18th edition.

If you’re planning on staying in the region for longer, head to the Göcsej Village Museum, where they have the largest collection of traditional folk architecture. The museum was built to show the most beautiful examples of these archaic types of buildings, which were already on the decline at the end of the l9th century.