Hungary, Ukraine, and Romania

Topic: Tour Calendar July 28 to August 10, 2008

July 2008

Day 1 ~ 28, Monday - Departure

The big day has arrived at last! This afternoon we will check in with Northwest Airlines for the flight from St. Louis to Detroit. Here we’ll connect with our overnight flight to Amsterdam.

Day 2 ~ 29, Tuesday - Budapest (Hungary)

A morning arrival is planned at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. After some time to stretch our legs and browse through the famed tax-free shops, board our plane for the onward flight to Budapest, the Hungarian capital. After passport and customs formalities, board our private bus for the transfer to the center of Budapest. Our first stop will be in the Pest side of the city. Here we’ll visit the Great Synagogue, built between 1844 and 1859 in a Byzantine-Moorish style. Desecrated by German and Hungarian Nazis, it has been reconstructed with donations from all over the world. In the courtyard one can see a weeping willow made of metal in honor of the victims of the Holocaust. After our visit, continue to the Museum of Terror, the former headquarters of the AVO, the secret police. Next, we’ll visit Heroes Square with its Millennium Monument. Afterwards it’s on to our hotel for check-in and room assignment. We’ll have some free time to rest up before dinner is served.

Day 3 ~ 30, Wednesday - Budapest, Eger, Miskolc

Before leaving Budapest, we’ll make a stop at the Central Market Hall. This bright, three-level market hall is a pleasure to visit. Fresh produce, meat, and cheese vendors dominate the space. The mezzanine level features folk-art booths and coffee and drink bars. The basement level houses fishmongers, pickled goods, a complete selection of spices, and Asian import foods, along with a large grocery store. Back on the bus, travel to the baroque city of Eger. The town bears witness to much history. One of its most historic events was the 1552 attack by the Turks. Fewer than 2,000 men and woman held out for 38 days against 80,000 Turkish soldiers and drove them away. Upon arrival, we’ll go directly to the Reformed Church Center to meet with Rev. Zsolt Kadar. Following our meeting and time for lunch, visit the Kalvin House and Eger Castle. Later this afternoon it’s on to Miskolc. Some of the group will be accommodated at the Reformed Church Center, whereas others will be staying at the nearby Hotel Pannonia. Dinner for the entire group will be served in the hotel restaurant.

Day 4 ~ 31, Thursday - Miskolc

At 8:00 a.m. we will all gather at Hotel Pannonia for our breakfast. At 9:00 a.m. visit the offices of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Miskolc. Here we’ll meet with Bishop Csomos, Headcurator Tibor Abram, and Hajnalko Domokos, the personal secretary of the Bishop and the coordinator of our visit. We will also meet with the co-workers of a Mission Center. Lunch is scheduled in the Levay Jozsef Religious High School, followed by a meeting with some of the teachers and students. Later we’ll visit the kindergartens of the Reformed Elementary School, the home “MOAN” for the mentally disabled, the “Nyilas-Misi” Youth and Children Mission Center, and the historic Avas Church. At 7:00 p.m. we will have dinner at Hotel Palota in Lillafüreden along with a number of Hungarian friends.

August 2008

Day 5 ~ 01, Friday - Vizsoly, Encs, Szerencs, Sarospatak

b-hotel L-church D-HOTEL At 8:00 a.m. we will have breakfast at Hotel Pannónia. After having said our farewells, travel to the village of Vizsoly to visit its Reformed congregation. Our next stop is in Encs. Following our visit to the Reformed congregation, we’ll have lunch. This afternoon we’ll visit the Szerencs Reformed congregation. Next it’s on to Sarospatak, a picturesque old town and home of the Sarospatak Reformed Academy and Seminary. This historic school was established in 1531 and nationalized by the Communist regime in 1951. On September 1, 1990, the Academy was re-opened as a Hungarian Reformed Church school. A year later, the Seminary was able to reopen. Upon arrival, check in at the centrally-located Hotel Bodrog for a two-night stay. Dinner is served at our hotel. This evening or tomorrow we hope to meet with Daniel Szabo, Istvan Gyori, and Frank and Aria Sawyer.

Day 6 ~ 02, Saturday - Sarospatak

After a relaxing breakfast, we’ll visit the Reformed College of Sarospatak, the historic library, the Reformation Museum, and Seminary. Lunch will be served in the “Mudrány,” the college restaurant. This afternoon we’ll visit the 11th-century historic castle and one of the many wine cellars that run for miles underground. During our stay in Sarospatak, we hope to meet with some of the faculty, students, David Pandy’s family, and Daniel Szabo. Dinner and overnight are again at Hotel Bodrog.

Day 7 ~ 03, Sunday - Nagydobrony, Nagybereg (Ukraine)

After breakfast we’ll say farewell to Sarospatak and board our coach for the trip to the Carpathian Ukraine. Until about fifteen years ago, this was part of the former Soviet Union. People of Hungarian descent mainly inhabit the area we will visit. As such, you will still find many Hungarian Reformed Churches in this area of the Ukraine, an area referred to as Carpathia. We’ll be crossing the border at Csop, after which we will travel to Nagydobrony. Exact arrival time is uncertain due to the possibility of a long wait at the border crossing. Upon arrival in Nagydobrony, we’ll have our lunch and then we will visit the Reformed School, the Reformed Children’s Home, Gypsy Camp Church, the farm, and more. We’ll also attend a worship service. In the early evening, travel to Nagybereg, our home for the next two nights. Dinner will be served in a restaurant.

Day 8 ~ 04, Monday - Tivadarfalva, Beregszasz, Nagybereg

This morning we’ll travel to Tivadarfalva for a visit to its Reformed Church school. During the summer of 2004, some young people from the Missouri Presbytery spent a few weeks here in a work camp. During the afternoon we will visit Beregszasz and some other communities in the area. Return to Nagybereg for overnight accommodations.

Day 9 ~ 05, Tuesday - Szatmarnemeti (Satu Mare), Zilah (Zalau), Kolozsvar (Cluj-Napoca) (Romania)

This morning we cross the border into Romania. The first major town reached is Szatmarnemeti (Satu Mare). It’s also arguably the ugliest town in all Romania—a grand, communist architectural experiment that went horribly wrong. None-the-less it has a certain charm because of its dubious looks. After a short stop, continue to Zilah (Zalau) for our lunch stop. This afternoon’s drive takes us to Kolozsvar (Cluj-Napoca). This university city and provincial capital has a rich historical past and is one of Romania’s largest industrial and cultural centers. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, German merchants, and the Mongols all captured the city at one time or another; but it has retained a strong Hungarian influence to this day. After an introductory city tour and a visit to the Reformed Seminary, check in at the Diaconal Center for dinner and overnight accommodations

Day 10 ~ 06, Wednesday - Rimetea (Torocko), Alba Iulia (Gyulafehervár), Kolozsvar (Cluj - Napoca)

This morning we will travel southward to the classically pretty Unitarian village of Rimetea (Torocko), once an iron ore mining town. After our stop, continue to the small towns of Cricau (Boroskraskko) and Ighiu (Magyarigen). Here we’ll visit two historically important Reformed Churches. Next it’s on to Alba Iulia (Gyulafehervar), the former capital of the Principality of Transylvania and the center of Hungarian Roman Catholicism in Transylvania. Our sightseeing in Alba Iulia (Gyulafehervar), will include the Alba Carolina Citadel, dating back to the 13th century, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the Orthodox Cathedral, built for the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie in 1922. If time permits, we may also be able to include a visit to the former Saxon city of Sebes (Szaszsebes) where we can see the classical Saxon-style fortified Lutheran church. In the late afternoon we return to Kolozsvar (Cluj-Napoca) for our dinner and overnight accommodations.

Day 11 ~ 07, Thursday - Manastireni (Magyargyeromonostor), Nagyvarad (Oradea), Debrecen (Hungary)

This morning’s drive takes us westward to Manastireni (Magyargyeromonostor), a small village known for its 13th-century church with original woodcarvings and a beautifully decorated ceiling. Along the main street are various vendors displaying their handicrafts. The village is also the place where Anna, David’s wife, lived before their marriage. Next it’s on to Nagyvarad (Oradea), a city of 225,000, which is located just a few kilometers from the Hungarian border. Of all the cities in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Oradea has best retained its 19th-century romantic style. Since having been taken over by Romania in 1920, the city has taken on an air of faded grandeur. Our panoramic tour of the city will include a visit to the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the largest in Romania. After a late lunch at the Christian Academy, cross the border into Hungary and continue to Debrecen for dinner and overnight accommodations. Our hotel is located across the street from the yellow neoclassical Great Church, the largest Protestant Church in Hungary, and the Reformed College.

Day 12 ~ 08, Friday - Debrecen, Kecskemet

Our familiarization tour of Debrecen will include a visit to the Reformed College, which has been a prestigious secondary school and seminary since the Middle Ages. Here we’ll see an impressive collection of religious art and sacred objects, the historical library and the oratory, where the breakaway National Assembly met in 1849 and where Hungary’s postwar provisional government was declared in 1944. Also see some of the great and historic Reformed Churches. This afternoon drive via Cegled to Kecskemet, a city ringed with vineyards and orchards. The city is known for its colorful architecture, fine museums and churches, and for the Institute of Music Education, founded by Zoltán Kodály. After a short familiarization tour, check in at one of the church owned hotels.

Day 13 ~ 09, Saturday - Kalocsa, Budapest

This morning’s drive takes us to Kalocsa where we will visit with Janos Hunyadi and Emoke Petre. Janos spent several weeks with John and Mary Harris in Fulton, MO. Emoke was a student at Eden Seminary. Although they knew each other in Hungary, they became interested in one another during their US stay. Now married, this young couple are working in their first pastorate. After our visit, continue northward to Budapest. Before hotel check-in, drive up to the Buda Castle District to visit the Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion—one of the most picturesque spots in the city.

Day 14 ~ 10, Sunday - Return

After breakfast, return to the Budapest Airport where we will check in with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for our return flight via Amsterdam to Detroit. Upon arrival at Detroit’s Metropolitan Airport, we’ll clear customs and then connect with our Northwest Airlines flight back to St. Louis. We hope that you will return with greater appreciation for the work of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Ukraine, and Romania.

CONTACT US: for more information regarding this tour or to have the brochure mailed to you

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about joining a Witte Tour

DOWNLOAD: the brochure and application form (Adobe PDF)

Refer this web page to a friend!
Your Friend's Email Address:
Your email address:
Message (optional):