Vagabond Vendégház Valkonya

Valkonya

Valkonya is a small dead-end village in Zala county, in the subregion of Letenye, 14 km away from Nagykanizsa in the northwest-west direction. In a gorgeous natural environment, it lays in rounded hills covered with forests. Valkonya is part of the South-transdanubian Blue Trail (DDK, Kéktúra).
Its name originated from a Slavic personal name, Volkona, meaning wolf.
The first written note including Valkonya comes from a deed dated 1019, in which the Zalavár Abbey mentions it as a place for the payment of the tenth.
Valkonya and its precinct had several owners. As it can be traced back, all of the owners were descendants of the Hahót family. Hahót, a village nearby, has kept their name.
During the Turkish subjugation the whole village consumed, only starting to re-populate in 1694. This time became evicted by the Esterházy family. It started to develop slowly and the number of residents increased gradually. The only school of Valkonya opened in 1927. Today the building has been transformed, it stands as the Pál Rockenbauer tourist house.
Nowadays the village tourism blossoms. The true calm of the countryside, the beautiful environment and view attract more and more tourists.

Province: Zala
Region: Western Transdanubian
Population: approx. 70 people

Budapest is 200 km away from Valkonya.

The beach of Bázakerettye and the narrow gauge railway are 15 km away, the lake of Kistolmács is 20 km away.
Valkonya has a special program, Ludvércjárás, connected to Saint Michael day. According to the folksy beliefs returning souls, cacodemons, witches gather around the village’s draw well at midnight, whom the participants bundle off from the neighborhood by setting fire on this fun and yet serious day. Thus every day is calm and fruitful in Valkonya.
One of the region's characteristics is grape and wine producing, thus the village is a member of the Mura rural district of the Zala Wine Region. This entailed the construction of specific style harrow cellars on the varied hillsides. Some of these were renewed recently.

Sights in Valkonya

Saint Péter and Pál apostles chapel

Valkonya has not owned a church since the Turkish subjugation. There is only a chapel, in which a saint mass is held on occasions. The chapel was created by reforming a belfry. On Sunday or for a celebratory service the believers go to the churches nearby. In chatolical approach Valkonya is the part of the parish of Bánokszentgyörgy, within the bishopric of Szombathely. In this region there are mostly catholic churches and parishes.
In front of the chapel a memorial stands for World War I and World War