Travel, encounter and experience German heritage alongside the Danube
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The beautiful village of Bakonynána lies at the heart of the Bakony Mountains. It is a cul-de-sac hamlet which can only be reached on a trunk road from Zirc, where the nearest train station is situated as well. The beauty of the surrounding landscape makes the village one of the most popular hiking spots in the region. Numerous extraordinary cliff formations, narrow canyons, small brooks and a waterfall, the so-called "Roman bath", make the scenery unique.

The village name's origin is interesting: Nana is a Slavic personal name which was common in the early Middle Ages. Therefore, one can find several settlements in the Carpathian Basin called Nana and there is a yearly event held by all villages bearing this name.

The first detailed account of Bakonynána can be found in a state record for military taxes in 1488. In 1650, the Zichy family received Bakonynána together with the surrounding area and the castle of Palota. In the early 19th century, the region passed to the Nádasdy family.

Calvinist and Catholic settlers, which had come to the region in 1729, agreed on a contract in Pápa in 1779 which regulated the use and taxation of the local mill with their manorial lords. In the following decades more and more German settlers came to Bakonynána. As early as 1761, the village possessed a sheperd's cottage, a sawmill, a tavern, a butcher's shop and a watermill. Die number of families rose to 54, according to the record.

From 1750 onwards, Ferenc Nádasdy had a church built in Bakonynána. A document which was found in a wall of the registry in 1898, gives an account of the construction of the church. The church which was built by German settlers was consecrated in honour of Saint Anna and the cornerstone was blessed by the Cistercian monk Honekker from Zirc.

The altarpiece depicts the church's patron saint Anna. Since the building was in a bad condition after the 18th century, great parts of it were demolished and rebuilt in 1828 in the classicist style which can be seen today.

A Via Crucis was built in the churchyard in 1928 on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary.

The opening of a coal mine in the neighbour village played a major role in the development of the area after 1914. Thus, there was functioning electricity as early as 1932. Furthermore, many inhabitants found work in the mine and their labour was needed after World War II as well. Therefore, "only" 38 instead of the planned 107 families were displaced after 1945.

Since 1992, Bakonynána has a so called "Nationality Elementary School" in which German is taught as first foreign language. In 1999 a German kindergarten was established. The German minority self-administration is part of the village's cultural life. Since 2001, Jade (Lower Saxony) is Bakonynána's twin town, a partnership which is supported by the EU.


The interior of Catholic church St. Anna.



German inhabitants of Bakonynána around 1930.

Worth knowing

Collection of local history
Alkotmány u. 3, 8422 Bakonynána
phone: +36 (06) 88 587 320
Web: www.bakonynana.hu
Opening hours: Mo – Fr 8 am - 3:30 pm; closed on weekends. The key is available at city hall.


The collection can be found at the museum of local history in the village's centre which was established in 1998. Domestic artefacts of the village are displayed according to the rooms which they were used in. Amongst others, one can see the interior of a Bakonynána kitchen or a bedroom.