Mezokovesd, the heart of Matyo Land can be easily reached by train from Budapest, it’s a great day trip for those interested in Folk Art. The Matyo are a Roman catholic people who settled in and around Mezokovesd in Hungary in the 18th century. They are known for their wonderful folk dress and folk art particularly embroidery.
The Hadas is signposted and has several workshops operating in traditional houses, including furniture painters, a potter, a weaver, and embroiderers. There is a lovely little café / tea garden with a small museum and a shop selling decorated honey biscuits. Its small and compact and all very easily walkable.
t to be missed in the house of Bori Kis Janko. Born in 1876 Bori Kis Janko was the mother of Matyo embroidery, she was a pattern designer and embroiderer, from the late 1800 s she was involved in the promotion of Matyo embroidery in exhibitions, at the beginning of the 20th century Matyo embroidery began to be seen as a commercial endeavor and Bori was one the first to sell her embroidery. You can see some of her original designs in the Matyo Museum. Boris Kis Janko was born in Mezokovesd and lived her whole life in the same house which still stands and is open for visitors, in the Hadas.
The Matyo Folk Art Association also based in The Hadas, promotes the folk art of the Matyo people and can often be found at festivals, demonstrating techniques and displaying and selling embroidery. The centre in the Hadas provides a history of the Matyo peope and their customs, it’s well worth a visit
Matyo embroidery has been inscribed on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2012. Embroidered in silk floss or wool mostly using satin stitch, Matyo embroidery mostly features colourful stylised flowers, Matyo roses are the most common and well-known.
Traditionally the embroidery covered most of the cloth with little of the ground cloth visible, the base cloth may be home-loomed hemp, felt or cotton in black or neutral.
