Bonyhad

'Capital' of the Völgység, the varied architectural look of Bonyhád was shaped by the former German, Bukovina Székely, Hungarian and Jewish inhabitants.

The settlement was named after Bonyha, one of the sons of Transylvanian voivode Gyula (or Gulaz, Geula). In 1782 Bonyhád received market town rights, which was confirmed by Emperor Franz.

The most famous industrial works in the settlement was formerly called the Hungarian Enamel and Metal Ware Factory. The production of enamel signs and advertising boards started in 1922 and of cooking utensils in 1923.

Architectural heritage of Bonyhád includes the noteworthy early 20th-century mansion of the factory founder. Today a library, it is set in protected parkland. Built in 1795, the late Baroque synagogue is also a notable heritage site still preserving its original 18th-century shape.

The first aristocratic centre might have been established in the area of the present-day Perczel Street in the 18th century. The buildings here demonstrate Baroque and eclectic elements.

Several formerly independent villages such as Alsóbörzsöny, Börzsöny, Majos, Tabód and Ladomány now belong to Bonyhád.

The ethnographic picture of Majos is rather special. The village had been a Swabian settlement of Lutheran faith for 225 years until 1945 when following World War II Bukovina Székely people from a Transylvanian village called Istensegíts (literally God help us) were settled here. Formerly a well-to-do Swabian village with a rather closed community, Ladomány is today the holiday resort of Bonyhád. In Alsóbörzsöny there is a mansion built between 1740 and 1746 for the Perczel family. Börzsöny was an independent village until 1928.

In 1977 Bonyhád was granted city status.

How to get there:
By railway the town is served on the Bátaszék-Dombóvár line, and from Szeged via Baja. by bus, local Volán coaches serve the town from Budapest and Pécs. By car look for Bonyhád northeast of Pécs on Route 6 (E73).