ZSÁMBOK

Zsámbok is a village of 2400 inhabitants on the eastern part of Pest county, by meeting of Gödöllő hills and Alföld, in the valley of Hajta. The settlement lies 40 km far from Budapest, it can be approached very well, from six directions by turning off the roads M3, 30, 32 and 31.

Signs of settlement from the prehistoric age remained on the territory of the village, one of the most important ones is the fortified castle of Kerekhalom from the Bronze Age. The village was first mentioned written in 1380, but in occurs in earlier family names. Perhaps the person giving its name was the same, who named Zsámbék, the similar sounding settlement also in Pest county. Zsámbok was known as templar place, it was owned by the Kókai and the Tétényi families, for a while by the Queen, later by the Rozgonyi and Báthory families. It was emptied during the Turkish subjection in the 15-year war and during the liberator campaigns. The village was repopulated at the beginning of the 18 th century, most of its territory was owned by the Beniczky family, they preserved their land until 1944. The today form of the village took shape due to the development after the World War II., its institutions and utilities were built. Most of the inhabitants found jobs in the surrounding cities. After the union of the collective farms of Valkó, Vácszentlászló and the local one in the 1970s, the administration became common too. After the vote in 1986, Zsámbok was the first settlement in the country which could decide self in the local polity questions, so it became separate again in 1987.

The roman-catholic church of Zsámbok was built between 1752 in baroque style, in the place of the demolished medieval church. The high altar-piece of its patron saint, St. Elizabeth of the Árpád-House is the work of the Austrian painter, János Bergl. The inhabitants of the settlement preserve their traditions. The members of the older generation wear the traditional costume often even on weekdays, is unique, different from any other in the country. The Village Museum is organized in the sometime richest farmer-s house with typical, carved gable, it demonstrates the objects of the peasant life. The traditions play a very important role in the life of the village, this serves the Zsámboki Lakodalmas, the Coir of women, the New dance group and the Choral Society of Pensioners. The traditional performance of Zsámboki -Népi Együttes- (folk group) entitled Zsámboki Lakodalmas is a special show. The vegetable growing in walk in plastic tunnel became important in the last decades, the so called -Lecsót a keceléből fesztivál- is a new fest of it. Professional and the other programmes are waiting for the visitors at the weekend before the th20 of August.