Erdőbénye is the village of coopers, eager to show the their craftworks, it is also famous Gönc and Szerednye barrels made of Zemplén oak, which contribute eminently for the maturing and storage of the Tokaji wine. On request you will be able to attend a complete cooper program. The village of Erdőbénye already existed at the time of the Hungarian Occupation of the Carpathian Basin. Old documents mention the village with various names, like Lower and Upper Bénye, Mező- or Egyházasbénye.
Erdőbénye was one of the most significant villages of the Foothills, and possessed rights to trade wine and to organize fairs. Traditional stories say that Máté Szepsi Laczkó, the protestant minister of Erdőbénye, made the first aszú wine for Empress Zsuzsanna Lorántffy.
A thermal bath opened in the village in 1830. Erdőbényefürdő and Ligetmajor, two little communes, were added to the village of Erdőbénye at the beginning of the 20th century.
Erdőbénye is the village of coopers. The Tokaj region has two characteristic barrels, the barrel of Gönc and the barrel of Szerednye. The former is a 136-liter oak barrel, and used to be the most suitable size for wine transportation since it fit easily onto carriages. The barrel of Szerednye is 220 liters. Both barrels are traditionally made out of Zemplen oak. Initially, wooden hoops were used to keep the staves together, but from the beginning of the 19th century metal ones took over. Cooper traditions are handed down from one generation to the next, together with the cooper’s dance that is performed in traditional folk costumes.
Today the village organizes cooper demonstrations; its culinary scene strongly relies on local produce; and several wine cellars are open for visitors.

Sights:

- Budaházy-Fekete Manor
- Calvinist Church
- Calvinist Rest Home
- Roman Catholic Church
- Szirmay Manor
- Mountain lake
- Cholera-Column
- Statue of Laczkó Máté Szepsi
- Spa-bath
- Aranyos-valley

 

Erdőbénye Barrels

The coopers of Erdőbénye were already famous for their barrels in the early 1800s. Their descendants ancestors make quality products, moreover, many of them show the over 20-phases of the process in their workshops.

Gallery