Szilvásvárad

The home of the Hungarian Lippizaner horse. The predecessors of the stud farm came to Europe from Carthago, as early as the ancient times. This animal was cross bred with the Pyrenean horse, thus creating the famous Andalusian horse. In 1576, Archduke Charles II established a stud farm in the Adriatic Lipiza. It was then that the introduction of fresh blood took place. In the 1950s the famous stud farm was moved to Szilvásvárad. The most beautiful horses can be seen in the stable of the Lipicai Museum (Opening hours: Tuesday  - Sunday: 9:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 16:00) as well as in the Lipicai Ménesgazdaság (Lippizaner Stud Farm) (Opening hours: 8:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 16:00, Telephone: 36/355-155). From the centre of the village, we can take a narrow-gage railway, through Szalajka-völgy (Szalajka Valley) to Fátyol-vízesés (Veil Waterfall). From there we can walk back: the trout ponds, the open-air forest museum and the forestry museum are well worth a short walk. For hikers, the village can be a good starting point for longer tours, even by bicycle. (Bicycle rental: Tarnai Csaba, Szalajka-völgy. Telephone: 06/60-352-695.)