Consequently, the village was periodically devastated by fire. The inhabitants of Hollókő never heeded a 1783 decree prohibiting the use of wood for building as the decree considered it to be too inflammable. Some limited growth started again in 1960 and is now strictly controlled. A plan from 1885 shows that the topography was already like that of the present-day plan: the amount of cultivated land had reached its maximum by the mid-19th century and the village could therefore grow no further. Later, a second street developed to the east of the main street.

In 1782, Hollókő was still a typical one-street village. The development of the village and the agriculture can be traced from various documents. The barns were built apart from the village, on the edges of the fields, according to Palócz custom. In this one-street village, subsequent generations built their houses at the back of the narrow family plots, thus progressively enlarging the built-up area. As was customary in the region, the first generation of inhabitants settled on either side of the main street. I developed gradually throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. This castle played a decisive part in the feudal wars of the Palóc and the Hussite and served as protection for the village whose ruins have been found a little way from its walls.Īt the end of the Ottoman occupation (1683) the castle and the village were finally abandoned and the present village established below. The property also includes the medieval castle ruins situated on the hill perched above the village, which is mentioned as early as 1310. Together, the traditional Palócz use of architectural forms and materials form a harmonious unit with the surrounding landscape and natural environment, characterized by strip-field farming, orchards, vineyards, meadows and woods. The rural architectural ensemble, which covers 145 ha, consists of 55 residential buildings, farm buildings and the church. The Old Village, which has been deliberately preserved, is a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. The Old Village of Hollókő is a Palócz settlement located in the County of Nógrád in Northern Hungary, about 100 km north-east of Budapest.

Old world village