Bezenye

Bezenye–also called Bizonja and Palesdorf–is located along Road 1 just a few kilometres from the Austrian-Hungarian-Slovakian border crossing point of Rajka. By public road, the village is accessible via Motorway M1 taking the exit at Mosonmagyaróvár and driving on along Road 150.

The Hungarian, Croatian, and German names of the village do not merely reflect the nationalities living here but also stand witness to the settlement’s historical past. Right after the Hungarian conquest, a group of semi-nomadic Turkic Pechenegs were settled in the territory of the modern-day village with the task of defending what was then the border region. Later on, after the devastation brought by the Ottoman Turks, Croatian refugees fleeing from Dalmatia settled here; they continue to form a majority of the population. Still later on, during the 18^th century, German settlers arrived to Bezenye.

The Roman Catholic church of the settlement is under the patronage of the Virgin Mary, who is depicted in the altar-piece. The church itself was erected in the main street of the village during the early 18^th century and then extended in the 19^th century. The parish-feast of the church is celebrated on the 8^th of September, the birthday of the Virgin Mary. The local Croatian community has purchased the oldest house of the settlement, converting it into a folk heritage house dedicated to keeping the group’s ethnic traditions alive. Wurtz House displays a small collection of furniture, family photographs, and other relics reflecting the taste of the local bourgeoisie at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Located at Ady Endre utca 11, the exhibition is open from spring to autumn.

Sources: http://www.bezenye.hu/, http://hu.wikipedia.org/, http://www.vendegvaro.hu/