Merk - Legend

Legend

According to the almost forgotten legend, as Prince Gábor Báthori was mustering up his army against the Turks, a frightening dragon appeared and tried to hinder the army’s procession. Somebody had to cross swords with the beast in order to avoid being delayed. The Prince was asked whether he dares taking the beast on. The answer was yes. At the location where the Prince uttered the word “yes”, the village called “Mérk” sprang up years later. (The word ‘merek’ in Hungarian means “I dare”.) The story runs mentioning that first it was the shoulder of the dragon that the Prince wounded. At the location where the wounding of the beast took place, the village “Vállaj” got created. (The word “Vállaj” means the lower portion of a shoulder.) When the Prince defeated the beast, he threw its lifeless body into a place where nettles were growing. Later, the village “Csanálos” (old Hungarian word referring to a place where nettles grow) got created at the location. Coat of arms of Mérk The coat of arms of the village of Mérk depicts the moment when the valiant is getting ready to kill the dragon as a test of his courage. Art relics and tourist attractions in the village - The Roman Catholic Church was erected in 1882-84 in honour of St. Peter and St. Paul (eclectic) - The Protestant Church was erected between 1899 and 1914 (eclectic) - The memorial that was erected in honor of the people died in WWII; it is located in the space between the two churches - The tawdry barns (Kraut folklore buildings) - A collection of hunter József Janovszky’s trophy collection. Several people have businesses related to traditional (folklore) activities including net spinning, homespun production (by hand), frail and pad production, embroidery and written embroidery production. The village also has a population of Hungarian Romani (Gypsy) people. Several Romani families have businesses related to Romani folklore music (both instrumental music and singing). The village is close to the River Kraszna where flyfishing opportunities are available. One of the major fishes in the area is the pike.

Coordinates: 47°47′N 22°22′E / 47.783°N 22.367°E / 47.783; 22.367