Our largest historical wine region is located on the eastern foolhills of the Mátra Mountains, which is Hungary's highest mountain range. Here, in Mátraalja' in the vicinity of Gyöngyös, Nagyréde, Abasár, Matkaz, Visonta, Detk and Halmajugra there are wine cellars and press-houses of various design. Detk lies on the southern side of the Mátra, at a distance of 12 kilometres from Gyöngyös. The name of Detk was first mentioned in the form of Deech in a charter issue in 1348. The name of the village probably derives from a Slavic surname The first landowner was the Kompolti Family. Ludas lies in the same surrounding, ata distance of 3 kilometres from Detk. On the outskirts of the village several million years old paleontological findings weÍe found. The name of Ludas was first mentioned in the form of Lwdas in a charter issue in \424. The name of the village probably derives from the fact that there were a lot of wild geese in this area in the Middle Ages. The occupation of Hatvan by the Turks in 7544, and then the siege of Eger in 1552 came as a turn in the lives of Detk and Ludas, when the region got almost fully depopulated. After the Turks were expelled, villages were repopulated. According to the property register of 1712, there were more then twelve serfs with land in these villages. In 1723, after several other owneíS' István Tanódy acquired Detk and the neighbouring settlements. These landowning families had a significant role in the future of Detk. The most impor1ant sight in the village is Tanódy manor house, which was built in 1767 in late Baroque style by István Tanódy. The oldest monument of the settlement is the church in Ludas' which was built in 1788 by Bertalan Tarródy, landowner. Lack of food and work compelled a greatpart of the people of Detk to emigrate after the beginnig of the 20th century. They underlook work primarily in the United States. Several of them stayed in this place with their families. Agriculture and grapes had an important role in the life of the village for many centuries. Various materials found and written relics of the past show that in the 4th -3rd centuries B.C. grapes were grown in the territory of Hungary. After the fall of the Roman Empire the inhabitants who remained here continued the wine growing activity. The world-vide reputation of Hungarian wines was mishandled during the socialist period, which followed the World War II. After World War II in Hungary there was a social and economic mutation. In Hungary a farmers' union had to be made in every village on the model from the Soviet Union. After the social and economic transformation in 1990 the situation was at its last ripe to renew the state wineries according to the old traditions but also keeping in mind the actual needs of the world market. Privatisation also made possible the presence of foreign capital which has opened the way for capital intensive investment projects.