Orség

The varied, hilly wooded countryside in the triangle between Körmend in the north, Zalaegerszeg in the east and the Hungarian-Austrian border in the west has an interesting ethnographic and cultural history. Part of this region, the so-called Upper Wart, fell to Austria after the treaty of Versailles in 1920; on the Hungarian side the population of this border region carried out watch duties for the Hungarian rulers as far back as the 10th and 11th C, from where the name "Wart" (5 watch) is probably derived. They were rewarded for these voluntary duties with privileges and greater autonomy. Typical of the Wart (Orség) are tiny settlements or hamlets, known as "szer" in Hungarian, which form a chain of border posts.

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