Attraction Hercegkút row cellars
Tokaj-Hegyalja is a wine region stretching along the southern–southeastern foothills of the Zempléni-hegység, covering 87 km in length and 34 km in width, across an area of about 5,500 hectares. Since 1737, it has been regarded as the world’s first closed wine region. In 2002, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed it on the World Heritage List as a cultural landscape. The wine region includes 27 settlements, among them Hercegkút, located just 3 km from Sárospatak, and its surroundings feature the Kőporos and Gombos Hill multi-level cellar rows, consisting of a total of 195 cellars.
The Swabian village that once belonged to a prince
The picturesque village of Hercegkút would, if it could tell its story, take us back around 270 years, as this is where its history begins. At that time, the settlement was known as Trautsondorf (in Hungarian: Trautsonfalva). It was founded in 1750 by German settlers from the Black Forest region of Germany, invited by Prince Trautson.
The hardworking Swabian settlers first established themselves on the northwestern slopes of Gombos Hill, in the area that is now part of the World Heritage-listed cellar rows. They initially lived in underground storage pits and wooden huts built above them, before later constructing stone houses and cultivating the hilly landscape.
They quickly mastered viticulture and became highly sought-after vineyard workers. Grapes harvested from the nearby Kőporos and Gombos Hill vineyards were processed in the cellar rows at both ends of the village, and the wine was aged in rhyolite-carved cellars using traditional barrels.
The cellar rows today
The Kőporos and Gombos Hill multi-level cellar rows have since become iconic symbols of the Tokaj-Hegyalja. Built on four levels, their triangular stone façades make them instantly recognizable even from a distance. Behind these entrances lie cellar systems that can extend up to forty meters, branching into multiple levels where wines are still aged today.
Although the German population decreased following deportations after World War II, descendants of the original settlers still live in the village. Hercegkút, with its small population, remains proud of its heritage and actively preserves its Swabian traditions.
Heritage and experience
When visiting, it is worth planning ahead and arranging wine tastings in advance, as well as staying in local guesthouses offering amenities such as saunas and outdoor hot tubs. Beyond wine, visitors should also taste traditional Swabian specialties, including cured local bacon.
After exploring the cellars, visitors can discover further sights: the Baroque Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Calvary on Gombos Hill with its 14 stations and three wooden crosses, and the Swabian House (Tájház), which presents the village’s cultural heritage.
Every August, the village hosts the Cellar Festival, a highlight of local traditions and wine culture that should not be missed.
