The nearest urban centre in Slovakia is Veľký Krtíš which also serves as a district seat.

The place name clearly refers to the natural environment, as many willow trees still grow on the wide flood plain of Ipoly/Ipeľ river.

The Szent-Iványi híd/Szent-Iványiho most was built in 2023 replacing a temporary wooden bridge that served pedestrian and bicycle traffic since 2007.

Previous bridges connected Ipolyvarbó and Őrhalom from the 19th century until the early 1950s when the border was closed.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holiest Trinity in Vrbovka was built in 1798.