The ruins of the Zelemeri Gothic Church (Zeleméri Csonkatorony) are the last remnants of Zelemer, a village first mentioned in the papal tithes of 1332, and destroyed during the Middle Ages.

Photo: Laszlo Fodor
Standing atop a Kurgan (
kunhalom), the church’s 4.5 x 4.8 m steeple may have also served as a watchtower.
Built around 1310, the church was 26 m long, and 6.6 m wide at the nave, having a semi-octagonal shape and north vestry. The village was erased during the Crimean Tartar invasion of 1594, and a few decades afterwards, the whole area became depopulated. The ruins we see today stand as a memorial to Zelemer village.
Status:
- Architectural heritage since 1907.
Access:
- The Zelemeri Church Ruins can be found 10.5 km south-east of Hajduboszormeny. By car, it takes only a few minutes to approach on Road 35, between Hajduboszormeny and Debrecen. A marked trail leads to the artificial mound, where the church tower’s remains nail our eyes to the horizon.
Can be visited at any time of the year.
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