On January 12, 2026, Szekszárd gathers at 11:00 a.m. on Szent István Square, by the World War II memorial, to honor the 83rd anniversary of the Don River Breakthrough. The city’s day of remembrance brings together civic leaders, students, clergy, and heritage keepers to pay tribute to the fallen and reflect on a pivotal and tragic chapter of Hungarian military history on the Eastern Front.
Mayor Attila Berlinger delivers the keynote remembrance speech, setting the tone for a solemn, community-centered ceremony. Students from the Tolna County SZC Ady Endre Technikum és Kollégium shape the commemorative program with a curated performance, blending music, literature, and history to evoke the human cost and enduring memory of the Don Bend catastrophe. A church blessing is offered by Roman Catholic chaplain and Lutheran pastor Attila Miklovits, underscoring a shared spiritual moment across traditions. Heritage reenactor and preservationist Péter Szabó of the Honvéd Hagyományőrző Egyesület also takes part, lending historical depth and ceremonial dignity to the proceedings.
This remembrance anchors a wider cultural rhythm in Szekszárd, where wine, hospitality, and local tradition meet. For visitors arriving for the commemoration, the city’s hotels, wineries, and restaurants open a generous window onto the character of the Szekszárd wine region—calm landscapes, careful craft, and a taste for convivial detail.
Stay in Wine Country Comfort
Hotel Merops**** is a wine hotel tucked into downtown Szekszárd, next to the Mészáros Winery and just minutes on foot from the city center. It leans into a calm small-town feel with the atmosphere of a storied wine region, promising both deep rest and active relaxation. Distinctive interiors, a trained staff, and a wide, personalized service palette set the tone. The hotel offers 8 rooms and 2 apartments, while the Main Street Bistro in the nearby Nádasdy House dazzles locals and travelers with a broad menu and fine flavors. Wine tastings are on offer, and the cellar hosts pitch-perfect Szekszárd-style events—from birthdays and friendly dinners to corporate gatherings.
At the northern gateway to Szekszárd, Sió Motel spreads across 2.5 hectares along Route 6, between the Szekszárd and Tolna wine regions, near the Gemenc forest and the Sárköz area—a straightforward base for exploring the countryside.
Hotel Zodiaco***, the only three-star property in Szekszárd and its surroundings, blends modern and elegant design with a simple philosophy: guest satisfaction. Year after year, it rolls out nimble upgrades to make business stays and weekend getaways as smooth as possible.
Winemakers, Cellars, and Tastings
Attila Birtok is set in the Baranya Valley, farming 34.6 acres of vineyards. In the cellar, expect Kékfrankos, Kadarka, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zweigelt—classic Szekszárd grapes handled with regional sensitivity.
Bodri Winery (Bodri Pincészet) spreads across 247 acres at Szekszárd’s southern edge, doubling as a tourism center with a working winery, event complex, restaurant, show kitchen, and guesthouses. The main cellar covers 19,375 square feet, with twelve domes shaping the interior, while a 3,229-square-foot maturation cellar opens during tours. The 15,070-square-foot rosé facility enables larger-batch precision. The Bodri estate’s guest rooms accommodate 61 people, and comforts include an underground Roman-style thermal bath with domes, plus a jacuzzi and sauna. At Optimus Restaurant (Optimus Étterem), chef-driven plates present the range of Hungarian cuisine with a light modern touch, pairing in harmony with Bodri wines.
Borfaragó Cellar (Borfaragó Pince) nestles in the heart of the upper town, in a former carpentry and woodcarving workshop. It offers tastings of artisan wines alongside masterpieces of folk carving, and it’s ideal if you want a spot off the main drag yet easy to reach for a gathering of friends or colleagues.
On Várdomb Hill, one estate spotlights Kékfrankos for its range, quality, and reliability, using it solo and as a backbone in blends. The lineup also includes Rhine Riesling, Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kadarka, Kékoportó (Blauer Portugieser), Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. Another artisan winery, rooted largely in Porkoláb Valley, works exclusively with estate-grown fruit and avoids industrial shortcuts—no commercial yeasts, malolactic agents, enzymes, fining, colorants, flavor or aroma modifiers, acid adjustments, filtration, sterilization techniques, oxygen dosing, or heat treatments. Every wine is bottled.
Across the region, cellars lean into experimentation—new blends, rosés from nearly every available red variety, and award-winning performances abroad. Red wines remain a point of pride, often balancing local grapes like Kékfrankos and Kadarka with international varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir. It’s a simple credo: something different from the usual—switch off on the vineyard hill, lean back, and savor good wine.
Family Traditions, Open Doors
The Eszterbauer family, with Swabian and Serbian roots, runs a tradition-steeped family winery in Szekszárd. Their showcase wine house and demonstration cellar welcome guests for tastings led by family members. In the combined wine and guest house, tastings and food are offered for groups of 8 to 50, from simple bites to multi-course dinners. Their webshop stocks a range of award-winning bottles.
Another family estate cultivates 16.3 acres across four parts of the Szekszárd region, planting Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Kékfrankos. Together, these addresses form a map of taste and memory—places to gather before or after the wreath-laying, to raise a glass in quiet respect, and to fold the story of the Don River Breakthrough into a living culture of care.
Organizers reserve the right to change the time and program.
