Muzhievo Country House

Muzsaly (Мужієве)

Muzsaly is located 8 km southeast of Beregszász (Berehove), along the main road Berehove-Vynohradiv. According to the 2001 census, the population of the village was 2,076, of which about 80% were Hungarians. The settlement was inhabited in pre-historic times, as evidenced by archaeological finds. South of the village, on the left bank of the winding Verke, is the hill of the Szépasszony (Beautiful woman), which is the site of one of the most famous tragic medieval legends in the region.

The village, located on the right bank of the Borzhava river, first appears in the documents in the form of Muse in 1232, at which time it was a royal estate consisting of two parts. After the Tatar invasion of 1241, Hungarian king, Béla IV settled Saxons here. From the 14th century, it was owned by the Muzsaji and Jakcsi families, then by István Báthory.

The inhabitants of the village converted to the Calvinist faith as early as 1552. In 1566 the Tatars devastated the village and deported most of its people. But the biggest blow came in 1657 when the Poles invaded the village. At that time Kismuzsaly (one part of the village) ceased to exist and its inhabitants moved to Nagymuzsaly (the other part of the village, now Muzhiyeve).

On the Berehove side of the village, a ruined temple in the middle of the fields is clearly visible from the main road, a remnant of the Kismuzsaly that once existed. One of the most beautiful Gothic monuments in the region, it was built between the 13th and 14th centuries. You can take a short walk to see the remains of its walls. The wall of the western facade is almost completely intact with the opening of the lined gate and the four-lobed round window. The semi-circular triumphal arch separating the nave from the sanctuary is also still standing. The reliquary niche in the sanctuary wall is clearly visible. There is a large opening in the south side of the nave. It is believed that the doorway removed from here was incorporated into the church in Beregszász. Conservation and partial restoration work on the monument began in 2022 as part of the Hungarian Rómer Flóris Plan.

On the hillside above the village, the settlements other historic building rises, the late Gothic Reformed church (7, Keskeny Street). In 1337, a document mentions the stone church built in honour of St. John, which is considered a rarity in this region. It has one nave and its sanctuary is the same width as the nave. The church, fortified with buttresses, has two entrances. The windows of the nave have tracery, and the window of the sanctuary has a simple pointed arch. Near the church there is a wooden belfry, which dates back to the middle of the 17th century. A headstone in the local cemetery and a memorial in the village centre commemorate the victims of World War II and Stalinism.

Mining has always played an important role in the history of Muzsaly. The Romans and the Turks mined gold here. In the 19th century, the settlement became the property of the Károlyi family, who founded an alum factory here in 1825, which made the village known far and wide. Later, a kaolin mine was established in Muzsaly, which was the raw material for the famous Viennese porcelain. In the most recent history of the village, the perlite mine and gold mining, which was restarted several times and then came to a standstill, were the most decisive.

Muzsaly is the birthplace of Pál Nagy Beregszászi (1750-1828), a well-known linguist of his time, Attila Vidnyánszky, Kossuth and Jászai Mari Prize-winning theatre director, and Viktória Tarpai, Jászai Mari Prize-winning actress. The villages renowned event, the Muzsaly Wine and Gastronomy Festival, is held every year in late autumn.

The MuzsalyVillage House Museum

The building, located along the main road at the foot of the Muzsaly mountain (75, Ferenc Rákóczi II Rd.) is a typical example of the hungarian peasant architecture of the villages around Beregszász.

Built in the 1920s, the tile-roofed house is flanked by a distinctive wooden porch on the courtyard side, newly constructed while maintaining traditional stylistic features.  The floor of the porch and the entire house, as well as the walls of the house, were made with plastering, which was still the most typical architectural solution in this region at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. From the porch, a loft ladder leads up to the attic where the smoked meat dishes were kept.

The buildings front door is original, as is much of the interior joinery. The visitor who enters is greeted by the kitchen, which features the characteristic "water bench" and the shaving mirror.

The showy serving cabinet, or almárium, seen in the room were only found in the homes of wealthier families of the bourgeoisie. The stove, dating from the mid-20th century, replaces the brick stove originally used in the houses here.

In the front, so-called clean room, there is walnut bedroom furniture with straw-lined beds and a table, fashionable in the 1930s. The tiled stove must have been made in the 1970s.

The various small objects and pictures are original accessories of the house. The rag rugs covering the floor are characteristic of the region, similar ones were made in almost every house. There is also a loom in the village house museum. The authentic embroideries and sewing kits decorating the house were made in the village. The lace tablecloth was a characteristic decorative element of the peasant houses here, a fine example of which also decorates the table in the clean room. The closet is lined with old clothes.

The third room, known as the "slumber room", was used for various household chores, such as pig feasts and making snail-shaped pasta, and the pantry is at the back.

Being an interactive village house museum, the smart TV is also part of the equipment. Visitors can see a description of other demonstration houses created within the framework of this development project, too, which also implements the Muzsalyvillage house museum. The back part of the building will house a shop selling local products.

The press-house and the cellar with its original barrels in the courtyard offer an insight into the traditions of wine-growing and winemaking that are still so characteristic of Muzsaly today. You can see the inevitable dug well and the dish dryer, and there is also a filagory for visitors. There is an orchard in the back garden, and a place suitable for making jam has also been created. The courtyard and the garden of the country house are thus ideal for traditional events and craft activities.