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

Main street in Mikekarácsom/fa in the 1930s 'Szeg' and Villages with one main street Among our typical settlement forms 'szeg' was coming into existence in the hilly region of northern and western Göcsej where groups of houses situated on hilltops were relatively far from each other. These 'szeg-s' were named after the landed families which settled down there e.g.: Kustánszeg, Pálfiszeg, Barabásszeg. In the village these groups of houses are now arranged along streets, but the names are still reminders of the previous families. In the southern part of the region, down at the bottom of the valleys - the 'pariallárí in vernacular language - there are villages with streets as the basis of their settlement structure. Their placing was very practical with respect to the streams running down into the valleys, and for the most part flooding did not reach them, but still they had water, essential for the household, farming and for the animals. The Göcsej Village Museum shows a 19th century Göcsej village similar to this one-street settlement type. Let us accompany you on your walk here with this guide about the buildings as well as the characteristic household utensils of this region.