Zabar, Hungary


Zabar is a village in Nógrád county, Hungary.

Geography

Zabar lies about east of Salgótarján, where the borders of, and counties and Slovakia meet. The River Tarna flows through the village. Kőverő-ér in the centre of the inner village is a small tributary to the Tarna.
The village has two physically separate parts, Belsőzabar and Külsőzabar. The two parts used to be referred to as Magyarzabar and Tótzabar meaning "Hungarian Zabar" and "Slovakian Zabar".

History

Archaeological finds suggest that the area of present-day Zabar has been inhabited since the Bronze Age.
The name Zabar is of Slavic origin and its meaning approximates to "a place behind the pine forest." This etymology is somewhat of a mystery as pine is not an indigenous species in the area. Its first mention in an official document dates from 1332.
The village was abandoned during the Turkish occupation of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Tourism

The surroundings make it an optimal destination for hiking and hunting. Most of the hills are covered with forest, although deforestation has recently intensified on privately owned lands. Beech, oak, acacia and planted pine species are the most common.
Between May and September the forests are abundant with several kinds of edible mushroom, which inhabitants take full advantage of. They eat them and also sell them, mostly for export to France and Italy, and many locals treat it as a pastime.
Zabar has the coldest mean winter temperatures of all Hungary. In the ten years since temperatures have been recorded the lowest value was on 12 January 2003.

Landmarks