Kovács Zsuzsa: Göcsej Village Museum. Exhibition Guide (Zalaegerszeg, 2008)

3. BELFRY A characteristic sacred construction of Göcsej and the villages and 'szeg-s in Őrség region in the neighbouring Vas county is the so-called skirted belfry. The building covered with shingle or thatch got its name from the covering board looking like a skirt. These were usually put in the middle of the village and made by peasant-joiners. Where there were no public spaces belfries were put among the houses. Tolling of the bells had great importance in spreading news. It not only called for mass, but also warned people about danger, told the time for work and rest and let people know if someone had died, and then escorted the dead on their last journey. The old wooden shingled or thatched belfries all disappeared from the villages because churches with belltowers were built nearly everywhere and the old, out of use constructions were dismantled. In recent years many villages have had these old and characteristic belfries built back. These are now not covered with shingle or thatch but with "tin", slate or tile and even though the foot is still made of wood, they no longer apply the same technique to shape them, and these logs are simply sawn straight. This skirted belfry with wooden shingles in the museum is from Budafa where it was originally built in 1888.