It is situated in the south of Somogy country, under Nagykanizsa, near Croatia. The village of 1,000 inhabitants is surrounded by the beautiful Danube-Dráva National Park. It was first mentioned in records in the 1380s under the name Gykynes. However, the Roman findings excavated in 1971 show that it was inhabited much earlier. Outstanding sights of the village include the neoclassical, monument Roman Catholic church built between 1830 and 1835. Its famous altar-piece was painted by Károly Jakobey in 1866. Its Lutheran church was built in 1887 in Gothic style according to the plans by Valentin Morandini. Apart from the monuments of World Wars I and II, a nice flame shaped marble statue can be seen erected in memory of the introduction of gas heating here. A famous sight of Gyékényes, the mine lake called Kotró belongs to the landscape protection area. As a result of continuous dredging, the lake is getting deeper and its water filtered by the gravel layer is especially clean. It is a popular place with divers and it is often the venue for competitions, national and international championships. The village prides itself on the wildlife of its neighbourhood, which has been part of the Danube-Dráva National Park since 1996. You can find rare natural beauties including the moorland forest or rare plants such as the chequered lily in the region. The undisturbed environment is a nesting place for the black stork, which does not nest in places inhabited by people. The region rich in game is popular with hunters, too. The former closed border station has become an open-minded village by now aiming to focus on the development of tourism in the future.