National and historical symbols of Hungary

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Drávatamási

(Somogy County)

It was the arms of the Tassy family, landlords of the village from the mid-1700s till 1945, that served as the basis for Rábatamási's coat-of-arms. The ancient family arms are still to be seen in the Tassy crypt at the local graveyard. This symbol has been chosen partly as a mark of our respect for tradition, partly as the manifestation of our being identified with the idea carried by it, since for us the pelican in her piety symbolises patriotism as well as the self-sacrificing care and defence of the home.

The simple, round-based coat-of-arms is coloured blue, which on the one hand symbolises purity, vista and freedom, whereas on the other it represents our beloved river, the Dráva.

The heraldic description of the arms is the following: Shield erect, the base rounded. It bears: azure, a pelican in her piety argent; in middle chief enclosed by the pelican's wings and borne above her head an anchor or.

The anchor symbolises the fact that Drávatamási's fortune is linked to the river Dráva. It also represents the would-be port, one of the breaking points for the village aiming to base its future on tourism.

The coat-of-arms was designed by József Radics, an art teacher, while the copy made for the arms hall of the County Hall was created by the heraldic graphic artist József Varga Deák from Nagybajom.

Our settlement is becoming known and favoured by Hungarian and foreign lovers of Nature alike, who like tranquil river banks, mystical forests, clean air and quiet villages.

The area that surrounds Drávatamási belongs to the Duna-Dráva National Park, whose education centre is to be found in the village. The centre has quickly become popular with schools which, by being aware of the importance of gaining experience through practice, want their students to deepen their knowledge about Nature with the organisation of forest schools. These courses are becoming more and more regular and important, and thus they are to be significant touristic events related to the village.

In the surrounding indigenous woodland rich in natural beauty and values one can find oak forests, ash, birch and hornbeam groves together with the juniper groves covering the area bordering on Darány, as well as the forestry's monocultures of acacia, pine and English oak.

Especially rich are the forests in mushrooms, of which the most favourite are the chanterelle, the tasty bolete and the giant lepiota. The fauna is also varied including the roe, the fallow deer, the red deer and the wild boar, which sometimes cross the road in front of the eyes of tourists travelling to the village. The abundance of fish in the Dráva attracts many anglers to the river bank.

In the 1500s Drávatamási used to be owned by the Széchenyis and later by the Bakó family; then, from the mid-1700s till 1945, it was possessed by the Tassy family. The purely Hungarian population is Roman Catholic. Most of them live out of agriculture and forestry, while some are employed by the local Drávakastély social welfare home.