In the footsteps of Zemplén landscape management – Rákóczi hike, section 1

Itinerary:

• From the train station we walk along Csokonai street to Wesselényi street.
• We cross the railway tracks to the right.
• On the other side, we immediately turn left onto Esze Tamás street, which we follow to the end of the houses.
• We turn right onto the P trail which we follow up to the weekend houses.
• We turn right onto the P▲ signs, on which we visit a viewpoint at the top of Mandulás hill, then descend back down.
• We stay on the P trail and follow it to the edge of Hercegkút.
• We take a detour to the left on the PT trail and climb up an unmarked path to the top of the Calvary as well.
• Returning, we continue on the PT trail, which reaches the Rákóczi route at the main street.
• We turn left onto the P trail, which we follow almost to the far edge of Komlóska.
• Before the end of the village, we turn left and climb up to the Pusztavár following the PT trail straight ahead.
• From the castle, we descend along the other branch of the PT trails, arriving back on the already walked path at Komlóska street.
• We walk on the P trails along the asphalt through to Erdőhorváti.
• The bus stop is found on the far side of the church.

Detailed description of the tour:

Hills along the ridges

Sárospatak, built on the floodplain of the Bodrog River, was the center of the Rákóczi estate for about 100 years. If we are curious about its monuments, a detour to the downtown area about 10-15 minutes from the train station is necessary. Visiting them all or just the Rákóczi castle is a significant time commitment, so it is not part of our route. Our walk begins along the railway line, starting on Csokonai street, where at the first corner we cross the tracks to the right. On the other side, turning left we follow Esze Tamás street, at the end of which we find ourselves on the edge of town. We turn right onto the P markers, and within minutes leave behind the family houses. On the sunny slope sunflowers accompany us, on the other side a pasture fence stretches, and opposite are the characteristic rounded ridges of the Tokaj Mountains. The dirt road soon leads to the foot of a hill: between the small weekend houses we take a right detour on the P▲ markers. The increasingly steep path leaves the huts behind and heads for the summit, finally winding through grassy weeds and andesite boulders breaking through the ground to a cross at the peak. Mandulás hill, together with the nearby hills, is a volcanic tuff-covered surface remnant formed from explosive eruptions, which erosion has worn down along with the relatively soft pyroclastic rock, significantly reducing its height today. Interesting is that its shallow soil has never been planted with vines, thus preserving a small slice of the original plant landscape of the Tokaj-Hegyalja region, remnants of slope steppes disturbed by farming. (As its name suggests, it was once partly covered by an almond plantation, which no longer exists.) Standing on the small mound, we overlook the border between mountain and plain: to the west roll the ridges of the Tokaj Mountains, to the east lies Sárospatak and the Great Plain. To the north appear the angular silhouettes of the Sátoros hills; on the closer hills, vineyard rows bathed in sunlight climb high. A sizable slice has been cut out of the hill for a quarry catering to Sárospatak's construction needs — it was typical in the 17th-18th centuries to open mines close to the target area but somewhat higher, to make moving the extracted material easier. (The sometimes wave-like increasing barking comes from a nearby dog shelter.)

Wine-producing slopes

It is not worth lingering long, as nearly the same view awaits from the boundary of Hercegkút (only due to decreasing distance the hills will seem to "grow"). We descend back to the P trail leading into the valley of Hercegkúti stream, to the foot of Mandulás hill. We walk past random and better-maintained holiday homes, emerging through dense vegetation to the main road, which we quickly cross. On the other side, we curve broadly around Gombos hill, and the somewhat gloomy, scruffy tree row changes abruptly upon stepping onto the cobblestones of the Hercegkút wine cellar row where the PT trail branches off to the left. On the left, neat triangular cellar estates line up, their stone walls decorated with geraniums in many places. The history of this World Heritage site is not so old: after the Rákóczi War of Independence, the area was owned by Prince János Vilmos Trautson, who founded Hercegkút as a clearance village (its German name, Trautsondorf, corresponds to the original Trautsonfalva), inviting Swabian settlers from the Danube spring region and the French-Swiss border. Each house in the 18th-century village had its own cellar, and since Tokaj wine was then a well-paying export product, the settlement area was marked out below nearby vineyards, with labor shortages solved by attracting German vineyard workers. Hercegkút also has two-story rows of cellars (both carved widely into the eastern hillside rhyolite tuff), an architectural monument not found elsewhere in the wine region — most cellars were built at the end of the 19th century, after the phylloxera plague. As the trees disappear, from the beautiful, well-kept promenade, we overlook the village and its vines; after entering a grove (to the left), we take a brief detour to the top of Gombos hill. The short Calvary path leads up a grassy hilltop, where until the 1920s (rare in this area) a windmill worked, traces of which are no longer found; in its place, a chapel glows white. From its terrace open views of the gentle but extensive heights of the Tokaj Mountains, the vast vineyards of Hercegkút, the long rows of houses, Sárospatak, and to the south, the Tokaj hill protruding like an island carving out another large piece of the plain in favor of the hills. The Calvary and chapel are modern buildings, both products of the 21st century and the local community. After sightseeing, we descend back to the hiking trail: the PT signs reconnect with the P markers, which we follow left to leave the houses of Hercegkút behind.

Heading towards the mountains!

On a lane between fields, initially rising slowly, we set off to cross the peripheral mountain range. If arriving in summer, an unpleasant section follows: walking through thick bushes on a overgrown path alongside the creek, be prepared for an enormous swarm of insects joining you. The source of Pogány spring is barely noticeable in the thicket; it received its name from the arrival of the Turks and its legend was even put into verse by Mihály Tompa. According to this, at the arrival of the armies, the locals hid their wine, but the troops, having devastated the hill, found it, became heavily drunk, which was discovered by two Hungarians arriving at the spring. They blew the horn warning, and then those who could grabbed weapons and killed them, thus defeating the drunken army.

Less cheerful is the next stage: for over one and a half kilometers, we climb through blackberry bushes, nettles up to neck height, and at times unbearable swarms of insects in the valley blockage. Then finally the brushwood opens up, first mixing with pines, leading into a more beautiful oak forest above us. The trail bends left and with one last effort we reach the saddle between Csécsi and Papaj hills. We thus cross a small watershed, beyond which we essentially hike in the inner corners of the mountain range. On a single-track path, we keep descending, surrounded by a sea of andesite rocks fragmented during the Ice Age, testifying to the rock building the hill. Soon a small, slightly marshy meadow cuts the forest, with a small wooden hut appearing in the shade on the left. Its door stands open, bearing the characteristic Slovak building features in its painting. There is not much inside, but it could be an excellent shelter for a night. Next to it, a resting place is collapsing.

Following traditional land use

The path cuts through a small clearing, pushes forward sometimes through young, sometimes mixed forest, then leads out to a wide forest road junction where a cross stands. Turning right, but leaving the wide haul road to the left, we continue. A park-like forest mixed with pines and deciduous trees indicates we have reached the outskirts of Komlóska. On the bottom of this narrow basin of erosion origin, lands and pastures of the village had to be created on the gentler slopes. This of course required much clearing, which was convenient as the Tokaj Mountains' first glassworks operated from the late 17th century in the nearby valley of Hármhuta to the north. Ash necessary for glass production was cooked locally in Komlóska, and its production consumed vast amounts of wood (precisely wood ash and charcoal). Following the tradition known from the Carpathians, the remaining clearings were mainly used as pastures and hay meadows (to provide winter feed), or planted with fruit trees. Where the slope was too steep, they formed terraces (steps), among which grassy meadows protected the soil from erosion — traces of which can be seen from Pusztavár overlooking the northern border of Komlóska. The rain quickly washed away the treeless soil, so it had to be regularly replenished: manure was often carried up by human effort in bundles formed from sheets to designated areas. The products of mountain shepherding and small land parcels were generally just enough to meet local food needs, with little left for trade. On the other hand, villages settled on outer slopes sold their wine at good prices, while the wilder conditions among the ridges offered a more modest life to the mountain people. From the reforested remnants of pastures we glimpse many ridges and then a clearing appears revealing the village as well.

On a stony road, winding under the silhouette of the hilltop church, we descend into the valley where the homesteads line up. The small mountain village is strikingly tidy, its environment pleasant, being one of the most atmospheric and seemingly lively settlements of Zemplén. (The name Komlóska may be related to a brewery that operated here.) Following the main street, on the right stands a peasant house behind a fence woven from branches, showcasing the living environment and architecture of Rusyn people in Komlóska (open to visitors). The mountain basin was populated in the 16th century by the "Carpatho-Ukrainians," who used their language for centuries until recent decades. The lesser-known, Greek Catholic ethnic group inhabits the Northeastern Carpathians; among its two main groups, the mountain-dwelling "verhovynians" and the lower-elevation settling "dolisnyans" (their name derives from the Slavic dolina, meaning valley), the latter inhabited the Tokaj Mountains. During post-World War II relocations, most disappeared from the area, and the village itself was slated for dissolution: building was banned and the community was prevented from having its own leader. Nowadays Komlóska shows unusual development: tax incentives have attracted numerous businesses, increased animal stocks nearly extinct earlier, flower the public areas, and organize countless community programs. The settlement image shows these efforts; it is worth tasting the locally available products at several places.

Up to the castle, down into the valley

The hiking trail would lead out of the village, but at the press house we switch left to the PT trail, whose educational trail tempts to the steep cone of Pusztavár. The particularly difficult, thigh-tearing climb is beautified by beech forest. At the end, we reach a twin-peaked hilltop, with a few ruins and stone piles reminding of the 14th-century origin of Pusztavár. Known in the Middle Ages as Solymos Castle, the fortress stood for less than 100 years, since then deteriorating. The view, however, is splendid: below is the Komlóska Basin, whose characteristically Tokaj Mountains landscape still retains Carpathian land use features. Surrounding the narrow village at the valley bottom are meadows and pastures, the forest retreats to the higher houses and peaks (the pine forests are the fruits of previous afforestation of cuttings). Opposite rises Bolhás hill; the mine shaft located on its side once gave the village the name "golden Komlóska." This mountain’s interior volcanic aftereffects formed veins rich in ores such as silver, gold, or pyrite, which closely resembles gold. Uncertain whether actual mining occurred in the mine; it is conceivable it was only used for research purposes. In the 20th century, the rock was examined multiple times, resulting in findings that no economically extractable reserves are hidden deep beneath.

On the other branch of the educational trail, crossing a rock sea, we descend even steeper if possible, and pass by the Rákóczi spring as well. Among the surrounding mountains, tradition associates the prince’s visit with many springs; it is no different here. We take a sharp right turn and shortly before, turning left at a branching point, return to the border of Komlóska.

On the P trail we bid farewell to Komlóska and head on the forest-surrounded asphalt road towards Erdőhorváti. We hike about 3 kilometers on the valley-following, lightly trafficked concrete, while the forest thins and narrow meadows and abandoned orchards replace it. Not far after the edge of the village, we reach its center. To the left, behind the church, there is a shop and bus stop, while to the right, the already familiar row of cellars line up (among them we find a pub).