Závod Pilgrimage Traditional Geocache
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A geoláda a geocaching.hu oldalon GCZAVO név alatt szerepel. Ha ott is be szeretnéd jelenteni a megtalálásodat, kérlek, ne feledkezz el a jelszóról! This cache is also available on geocaching.hu under the name GCZAVO.
I am inviting you to Závod, a small village in Tolna county. The village nicely situated among the gentle, friendly slopes of the hills of the Völgység can be proud of its unified streetscape and several religiuos architectural monuments.
(See waypoints.) Besides the church and the St. Anne chapel there are 6 small chapels, 7 statues, and 7 crosses.
The Short History of Závod
It is an ancient settlement. The first written document mentioned it in 1231. But, the area was inhabited much earlier than that.
Archeologist excavated a cemetery consisting of 104 graves from the time of the great migrations. Romans have also settled here. Artifacts are on display in the Wosinsky Museum in Szekszárd and in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest.
At the end of the Turkish period (1541-1686) Rác people (Serbians) settled here for a short period, but moved South, to the area of current Serbia at the end of the 18th century and the village became uninhabited.
The first German settlers from the area of Fulda arrived in 1718. By 1768 they rebuilt the church they found in ruins. The size of the church shows that Závod became a religious center by then.
The purely German speaking village grew steadily, its inhabitants took good use of the available resources. Wine- and fruit-growing, animal husbandry brought wealth to the village.
Life became harsh after WW 2. Deportation of the German ethnic group, moving in new people, establishment of new administrative districts ruined the once flourishing village by the 1980s.
Currently the number of inhabitants is about 330, one third of them are retired, young families and children are few. The inhabitants are Székely (Hungarians from eastern Transylvania), Germans, and Hungarians from the old Upper Hungary. Most are Roman Catholic.
Things to See
Závod is very rich in religious buildings and other relics. The small village is decorated with many crosses and statues. The church has been nicely renovated, and the chapel also survived the adversities of the last century.
The statues were not erected haphazardly. They were important stages of the processions held on the days of the religious holidays of the village (days St. John of Nepomuk, St. Florian, St Anton of Padua, St. Donatus, and the day of Immaculate Conception). Looking at these buildings and statues we can understand how important religious life was for the people who lived here and how important traditions are for the current citizens. I encourage you to walk around the village, it won't take more then an hour! The nicest sights are:
The Church of St. John of Nepomuk rises on the hill above the village. The large, baroque church was built between 1764-1768. The relic of martyr St. Benedictus, that were brought here in 1777 are still kept here under the side altar and can be seen during masses or at prearranged times.
The small Chapel of St. Anne is within the village. It has been maintained for generations by the Lusz family. Besides an oil painting depicting St. Anne there is also a painting of the "Seven Sleeping Saints" here, whose worship is very rare in Hungary. (The paintings are removed from the chapel in the winter months.)
The statue of St. John of Nepomuk stands next to the brook. The baroque, painted statue was carved in the first part of the 18th century, probably as the gift of the landowner.
The painted statue of St. Florian was erected in the center of the village in 1783 by the locals. The text on it says: "To St. Florian, our patron protecting us from fires, was erected out of piety by local inhabitants in 1783."
The Calvary is on the Calvary hill looking down the village. The 14 stations and the Calvary chapel were built in 1737 when Anton Jacob Vogl was the priest of the village. The style is similar to medieval calvaries from the Fulda and Rhine regions. They were carved by the stone carver named Hernes from the nearby Mecseknádasd. The Calvary Chapel follows the traditional floor plan and arrangement of the Sacred Grave chapels of the Holy Land - which is unique in the South Danubian region.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gerr.