This part of the settlement is also famous for its rows of horse chestnut trees. There are currently eight trees along the Botfa access road, seven more on Várberki Street, and another thirteen in the area known as the “Ánglis”. These old trees represent significant aesthetic and botanical value. We can find the so-called Elizabeth memorial trees (two of the original three lime trees remain) not far from the chestnut trees, in the castle park. They were planted in 1890 in honour of the Hungarian queen Elisabeth, also known as Sisi. It is no coincidence that Botfa is often referred to as a botanical pilgrimage site.

Photos: Ildikó Kaszás

If you are looking for the highest point of Zalaegerszeg, your journey should definitely lead to Botfa. In the local forest you will find Karácsony Hill, which at 304.9 meters is even higher than Kandikó, the best-known peak point of the Göcsej region. The viewpoint can also be reached along the Path of the Ferns hiking route.

37 percent of Botfa’s area is covered by forests, making it the most forested district of Zalaegerszeg. It is hard to imagine today, but in the past the Danube once flowed through this north-south valley. Botfa is also worth exploring from a botanical perspective. Out of the roughly fifty wild orchid species found in Hungary, about a dozen have already been discovered in this area including the highly protected bee orchid. Moreover, the fauna also offers surprises: approximately a thousand of birds have been ringed in the region, bats live in the castle garden (“Ánglis”), four protected fish species inhabit the Válicka stream, and three protected mushroom species have also been discovered here.

In the photos by Dr. Zoltán Illyés you can see the bee orchid, the corncrake, the alder bolete, the stone loach and the gudgeon.

Consecrated in 1796, the onion-domed church bearing late Baroque characteristics stands beside the Erdődy–Hüvös manor house. Even without knowing the dedication of the Church built from big-sized, burnt bricks, one would easily identify the patron saint: statues of the Virgin Mary appear above the altar, in the former sacristy entrance, and on the wall along the staircase to the choir loft.

The church in Botfa was expanded with a sacristy in 1949, and two bells call the faithful to worship. The building plays a significant role in religious tourism, as the Marian Pilgrimage Route reaches Zalaegerszeg via Botfa. The Mindszenty Youth House, which also serves as a pilgrims’ hostel, is the starting point for “treasure-hunting” tours following the wooden and stone crosses of Botfa.

An aerial photograph of the Mindszenty Youth House reveals both the Erdődy–Hüvös manor and the Church of the Holy Name of Mary.

The name Botfa has been preserved in old yellowed documents since 1386 (recorded then as Bathfalwa), and we know that in medieval times it belonged to the Csatár Abbey. For many centuries, the estate was held by the noble Erdődy family, who around 1750 built a single-storey Baroque manor house here, surrounded by an English-style landscape garden, the fore-runner of today’s castle park, once affectionately known as “Ánglis.”

With only brief interruptions, the family remained in Botfa until the late 19th century. In 1880 the new owner, Áron Hirschler, reshaped the mansion, extending it on both sides and adding a romantic turret.

The estate later passed to his son, József Hüvös, who was deported to a concentration camp in 1944 due to his Jewish heritage. After the Second World War, the abandoned mansion was stripped of its furnishings while locals sought new uses for the building: over the decades it served as a school, sewing workshop, cinema and residential quarters.

Once employing dozens of servants in its peak time, the Erdődy–Hüvös Mansion has been functioning as an accommodation facility since 2007. Maintaining its role as a youth centre, the building has been operated by the Notre Dame Canonesses and Teaching Order since autumn 2012.

The photo depicts the Erdődy–Hüvös Mansion, today the Mindszenty Youth House.

Photo: Mindszenty Youth House.