Culture / Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg

The cultural centre of the county is Nyíregyháza, which is home to the University of Nyíregyháza, the Zsigmond Móricz Theatre, the Sóstó Open Air Museum, and the András Jósa Museum. There are also other museums worth visiting all over the county in Vásárosnamény, Nyírbátor, Tiszavasvári, Mátészalka and Kisvárda as well, all serve as saviors of the Fairy-field feature and incredible wealth of the folk culture heritage and treasures of the region.

Also eminent are the festival of Hungarian theatres from the neighbouring countries, organized each year in Kisvárda, the Nyírség International Folk Dance Festival and Color Festival organised in August, the Regnum Fest, Tirpak Festival and the Pálinka Day organised in September, the Feast of St. Martin and the Retro Festival organised in November each year.

The Upper Tisza region is a notable tourist attraction, with the fortress in Kisvárda, Andrássy Castle in Tiszadob, the Transylvanian-style churches in the villages of the Szatmár-Bereg region, and the memorial sites of such famous Hungarians as György Bessenyei, Ferenc Kölcsey, and Zsigmond Móricz.

As far as built heritage is concerned, the total number of registered protected values of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county in 2020 is 357, namely: 206 church buildings, 3 cemeteries, 3 Folk churches, 63 Folk religious and architectural monuments, 34 City buildings and public institutions, 3 Castle ruins (Kisvárda, Szabolcs, Vámosatya), 47 Castle, mansion, garden, other related structures, 8 values in connection to Economy, infrastructure, storage or transport 8 and 3 Public works of art.

Regarding culture, it also has to be mentioned that in and around Nyíregyháza there is also an important Slovak community with its unique history, specific traditions, types of settlements and institutions such as the Nyírség Tirpák Association. The tirpák traditions are becoming an increasingly strong tourism product as well as identity organizing force in the region through the festivals (Tirpák Days, Tirpák Horse Days etc.) celebrating the specific gastronomy, dance and other folk traditions.

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County has international partnerships with the following regions:

China Heilongjiang Province, China

Ukraine Khust Raion, Zakarpattia, Ukraine

Romania Satu Mare County, Romania

Ukraine Vynohradiv Raion, Zakarpattia, Ukraine