Nyírjes gives Balassagyarmat a focus on nature, while museums and historic sites tell other sides of the city’s story. The former county hall recalls Balassagyarmat’s former administrative role, the resistance of 1919 and the civilian and military courage expressed by the title Civitas Fortissima. Nature experiences and commemorative culture thus offer distinct themes to consider when planning a trip.
Nature and activities in Nyírjes
The Nyírjesi Füvészkert covers 22 hectares. Along its two-kilometre trail, visitors can discover more than 500 different plant species from three continents. The garden focuses on botanical diversity; at the Nyírjesi Vadaspark, by contrast, animals take centre stage. Red deer, fallow deer, wild boar and mouflon are shown in their natural surroundings. A petting area offers the opportunity to get closer to goats, rabbits and lambs.
A network of trails stretches around the lakes, used by walkers, cyclists, runners and horse riders. The lakeside nature trails are also open to visitors, and the Segítő Szűz spring is a destination worth visiting. Activities on the water vary: fishing is possible at the lakes, while the largest lake is used as a training venue for kayaking and canoeing. Nyírjes also has a free summer beach for swimmers. The offer is seasonal: in 2026, the season ran from 15 June to 15 September.
Sport is also part of Nyírjes’s profile: the Palóc Triathlon has been held there in Balassagyarmat every year since 1986. Together with the trails, lakes and garden, this provides not just one focus for an excursion but a choice of different outdoor activities. Visitors planning a trip around a particular theme can choose between botanical diversity, wildlife watching, lakeside trails and sporting activities.
Museums, architecture and city history
Behind the Palóc Múzeum, an open-air ensemble showcases buildings and objects from rural life: a stable, a barn, an oil press, a chapel with a clothed statue of the Virgin Mary, and a carved wayside cross. Together, they illustrate rural architecture and ways of life in Nógrád in the 18th century. Agricultural buildings and religious objects offer distinct insights into what the ensemble represents.
The Civitas Fortissima Museum focuses on a specific day in history. An exhibition illustrates events in Balassagyarmat on 29 January 1919 using contemporary documents, pictures and film footage. This perspective complements the remembrance preserved by the former county hall of the resistance and the title Civitas Fortissima.
At the Balassagyarmat Local History Collection, also known as Csillagház, the permanent exhibition features works by graphic artist Horváth Endre, who designed banknotes and stamps. On display are banknote designs, copper engravings, ethnographic photographs and furniture of artistic value. The collection thus brings together graphic works and everyday objects, while the Palóc Museum focuses on architecture and rural ways of life.
The history of the Szerbtemplom Galéria is also part of the cultural offering: exhibitions by Hungarian and foreign artists working in fine and applied arts have been held there since 1988; from 1990 onwards, it operated as an independent exhibition venue. These varied themes help visitors choose cultural stops according to their interests, from the events of 1919 and the history of rural life to graphic art and the fine arts.
Discover more destinations: Bercel, Drégelypalánk, Csitár, Nógrádmarcal, Terény, Érsekvadkert, Szügy, Szanda.
For the broader travel overview: Balassagyarmati.
