Zabar, Hungary

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Country	Hungary
Zabar
County	Nógrád
Area
- Total	18.17 km² (7 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	554
- Density	30.48/km² (78.9/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	3124
Area code(s)	32

Zabar is a village in Nógrád county, Hungary.

It lies ca. 20 kilometers East of Salgótarján where the borders of Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Heves counties and Slovakia meet. The river Tarna (only a stream at this point) flows through the village. Kővágó-ér in the center of the inner village is a small tributary to Tarna.

The surroundings make it an optimal destination for hiking and hunting. Most of the hills are covered with forests, although deforestation has recently intensified on privately-owned lands. Beech, oak, acacia and planted pine species are the most common trees. Between may and September the forests are abundant with numerous edible mushroom species, which the locals take advantage of. In addition to using it as a food supplement they also collect mushrooms for sale (mostly for export to French and Italian markets) and many regard the activity of picking mushrooms a beloved pastime.

Zabar has the coldest mean winter temperatures in Hungary. In the ten years since temperatures have been recorded the lowest value was -31.9 °C on January 12, 2003. (This is however still three degrees warmer than the all-time coldest temperature in Hungary.)

The name 'Zabar' is of Slavic origin and its meaning approximates 'a place behind the pine forest.' This is a bit of a mystery as pine is not an indigenous tree of the area. Archeological finds suggest that the area of present-day Zabar has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. Its first mention in an official document dates from 1332 (as 'Sobur'). The village was abandoned during the Turkish occupation of the XVI-XVII. centuries.

The village has two physically separate parts, Belsőzabar and Külsőzabar (this translates to inner and outer Zabar). The two parts also used to be refferred to as Magyarzabar and Tótzabar meaning Hungarian and Slovakian Zabar.

Its Gothic church is from the XIII. century, the manor is from 1725.