Hercegkút, part of the UNESCO World Heritage, is home to one of the most famous wine cellar rows of Tokaj-Hegyalja, located on the northern border of the village. The charming Kőporosi cellar row, along with the Gombos-hegy cellar row, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002. On the northern side of Hercegkút, towards Makkoshotyka, 87 triangular-gabled cellars are lined up in a sawtooth pattern along the Kőporosi hillside. These cellars, hidden behind simple wooden doors, extend deep into the ground, typically 10 to 40 meters long, with one, two, or three branching passages.
The cellars were created by settlers from the Black Forest region of Germany, who were brought to the area by Prince Trautson after the tumultuous period of the Rákóczi War of Independence, around 1748-49. At the time, the village was known as Trautson or Trauczonfalva (Trauzendorf), and it was only in 1904 that it was renamed Hercegkút in honor of the prince and the nearby Pogánykút (Pagan Well).
Although the community was deeply affected by the deportation wave following World War II – in January 1945, 135 residents were taken to the Soviet Union for forced labor – the locals proudly maintain their Swabian roots and traditions, which is reflected in the tidy appearance of their surroundings.
The Kőporosi cellars, like those on the Gombos-hegy on the southern side of the village, are arranged on multiple levels, stacked one above the other, though in a less organized and slightly more scattered fashion. This cellar row is likely newer than its southern counterpart, as some of the Gombos-hegy cellars were already marked on the first military survey map from 1782-1785, while the Kőporosi cellars first appeared on the third military survey map from 1869-1887. The earliest date on one of the cellar facades, however, is 1825.
The cool cellars were mainly used to store potatoes and vegetables, as well as wine made from the vineyards planted around the area of Gomboshegy, Kőporos, and Pogánykút after 1876, when Hercegkút became an independent village from the Patak estate. Although the Black Forest settlers did not bring the tradition of viticulture and winemaking with them, they quickly learned the craft in Tokaj-Hegyalja and became respected vintners in the region. The cellars were part of the houses, and they were sold or bought together with the homes.
As part of the core area of the Tokaj-Hegyalja Historic Wine Region Cultural Landscape, the Kőporosi and Gombos-hegy cellar rows were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2002. However, the valuable monuments faced danger in the spring of 2010 when, in just a few days, one and a half times the annual amount of rainfall poured over the area, causing some of the cellars to collapse. Out of the 87 cellars in Kőporos, 31 were damaged. The damages were eventually repaired through local cooperation, and today the picturesque buildings are once again a well-organized sight. As part of the restoration preparations, a 3D survey was conducted of the underground maze-like passages.
Out of the more than 160 cellars on both cellar rows, only a portion is currently in active use, but all of the cellar facades are in good condition. If you find one open, it is worth exploring the cool, sometimes surprisingly labyrinthine passages, and, of course, tasting the local wine or must, which is personally sold by the cellar owners in several of these cellars.
