Excursions in the areaSzécsény
The Borjúpást Meadow next to the Forgách manor house was the scene of one of the major events of Rákóczi's War of Independence in 1705, the Szécsény Diet, when Ferenc Rákóczi II was elected ruling prince of the country. The manor house is open: from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 16:00. The Forgách manor house built in Baroque style houses the Ferenc Kubinyi Museum. The Franciscan church and monastery was built around the 1330s. In 1989 the Franciscans recovered the building, which has gothic foundations, but now it is mainly in Baroque style. A peculiar sight of Szécsény is the fire-watch tower which was bombed in 1944, and now is leaning 3 degrees from the perpendicular.
Balassagyarmat
The former seat of Nógrád County – with its Palóc Museum – is still the centre of the Palóc folk culture. The town might have got its name after one (Kürtgyarmat) of the seven Hungarian tribes which conquered the Carpathian Basin. Nowadays Balassagyarmat is a place which tourists call a "mellow old town", and great figures of our national culture had connections with it. The main sight of the town is the Palóc Museum where a permanent exhibition presents the traditional Palóc folk life; its weekdays and holidays. Next to the building of the museum a little outdoor village museum displays the architectural relics of the area (Palócland). The museum is open: 1 January – 23 May: Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00-16:00 24 May – 30 November: Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00-16:00 In the picture gallery of the town works of contemporary artists are on display. The Serbian Orthodox church in the centre of the town is now a gallery. Ipolytarnóc
It is a National Park with a European Diploma of findings dating back to the Miocene Age. About 20 million years ago a devastating volcanic eruption shattered the area, covering the gigantic trees and the prehistoric habitat with hot lava and volcanic ashes. Ancient remains of the prehistoric world have been unearthed: teeth of sharks, fossilised trees, imprints of leaves and footprints of prehistoric animals, which are now on display. The park is open between March and October from Wednesday to Sunday, between 09:00 and 16:00.
Pásztó
It is worth taking a walk in the centre of the town, in Múzeum square. Here you find the Schoolmaster's House, which was built at the beginning of the 15th century, and is the only one of its type which has remained in its original form in Hungary. The museum is open: 1 October – 31 March: from Monday to Friday: 10:00-16:00, and on Saturday: 10:00-14:00. 1 April – 30 September: from Monday to Friday: 08:00-16:00, and on Saturday: 09:00-15:00. The foundations of the Benedictine abbey and the glass kilns, which used to be workshops of the Benedictine abbey, are from the Middle Ages. Nowadays the Cistercian monastery displays exhibitions in order to attract visitors.
Salgótarján
The main sight of the county town is the underground Museum of Mining, where in drifts of 280 m historic equipment and relics demonstrate the hundred and fifty years of coal mining in the town. In a former home of a mining officer there is an exhibition of history, and next to the building you can see an open-air industrial museum site. The museum is open: 1 October – 31 October: from Tuesday to Sunday: 09:00-15:00 1 November – 31 March: from Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00-14:00
Horpács
Here you find a memorial museum of the Great Palóc, the writer Kálmán Mikszáth, which is very popular among the friends of Hungarian culture and literature. Open: From Thursday to Sunday: 10:00-16:00.
Csesztve
In this village you will find a former home of the famous writer, Imre Madách. A huge, protected Caucasian lime, under which the playwright liked to work, gives an exceptional atmosphere to the place. Open: From Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00-14:00.
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