The newly built prayer house in Kócsújfalu could also be called the twin sister of the church dedicated to the Holy Family in Bánhalma, since both were built according to the same plans, with a few months’ difference.
About the town
The name of the town also appeared as Pusztakócs, Kócspuszta, Tiszafüred-Kócs, but it was never independent. There were several proposals to make the village independent, but it did not receive any support for it, and therefore it still belongs to Tiszafüred from an administrative aspect.
The town became a symbol of the unforgivable crimes of the communist regime: during the years of the Rákosi dictatorship, the “class-alien elements” were relocated to the Hortobágy, creating the Hungarian Gulag. The farms around the Górés-, Borsós- and Árkus-townlands preserve the inglorious memories of the forced labour camp. The village has been chosen as the site for historical research, and the foundations of a memorial chapel have been laid.
The town had 2000 inhabitants in 1955.
The Kócs District of the Hortobágy State Farm ceased to exist at the end of the 1970’s. Livestock farming gradually drifted back to cooperatives and then to individual farms. The emigration of the population began, and the school and kindergarten were closed. In 1982, it had only 345 inhabitants.
Ecotourism has boomed in recent years due to the declaration of the Egyek-Pusztakóc marshes protected and the establishment of the bird reserve.
