Zala – Art, Church Architecture and Protected Nature

Zala lies south of Lake Balaton and is geographically connected with Tab. If you are looking for a hotel in Zala, the local points of interest can help you get your bearings: the main attractions are the Zichy Mihály Memorial Museum, the Roman Catholic church and protected natural sites. Art, architectural history and nature offer different perspectives on the same place – from an exhibition and historic church art to the trees in the mansion park and at the family cemetery.

Art and architectural history around the memorial museum

The Zichy Mihály Memorial Museum features an exhibition dedicated to an important figure in 19th-century Hungarian painting and graphic art. It also displays original furniture that the Zichy family saved before the war and from art collectors. The exhibition and the furniture provide different points of emphasis: on the one hand, 19th-century art; on the other, the preserved furnishings. This allows you to approach the museum visit through both an artistic theme and tangible objects.

The exhibition is open year-round, and guided tours can be requested. Confirm the visiting arrangements before you travel, as organizational procedures may change. The mansion associated with the museum was expanded in several construction phases. These additions included a studio, which was completed by 1880. The building’s history therefore spans several stages; 1880 is the completion date of the studio.

Church architecture, art and remembrance

The present-day Roman Catholic Church of the Penitent Magdalene (Bűnbánó Magdolna) was created in 1764 when the nave of a 13th-century church was remodelled in the Baroque style. The periods are clearly distinct: a church nave dating from the 13th century and its Baroque transformation in 1764. Mihály Zichy’s painting “Christ on the Cross” can also be seen in the church. During renovations in 1976, a Romanesque portal and three small, splayed windows were uncovered on the south façade; they were subsequently plastered over again.

A World War memorial in the churchyard commemorates 17 soldiers who fell in the First World War and 16 who fell in the Second World War. The separate figures keep the two wars distinct as points of reference, while the numbers are close in size. The memorial therefore offers a different focus from the museum, with its art and furniture, or the church, with its architectural history and painting.

Protected natural sites and directions

The protected natural sites give Zala another focal point. The park of Zichy Mansion is a protected natural area, and protected ironwood trees grow there. The Zichy family cemetery is a locally significant nature reserve in Zala and a well-maintained cemetery with Scots pines, Austrian pines and ash trees. The park and cemetery thus feature different named tree populations alongside the area’s cultural sites.

The directions to the Zichy family cemetery start at the western edge of Tab. From there, drive 1,400 metres along the road towards Zala, turn left and reach the cemetery after a further 150 metres. The two stretches together make 1,550 metres from the starting point. Check local road conditions before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Bonnya, Kisbárapáti, Andocs, Somogyacsa, Miklósi.

Go to the broader travel overview: Tabi.