Attracted by waters in the Viharsarok

Itinerary

• In Békéscsaba, start opposite the railway station on Andrássy Street towards the city center, then turn left at Szent István Square! At the church, turn right, and just a block away is the Élővíz Canal, where after crossing the bridge, turn left.
• The road running along the bank of the Élővíz Canal leads almost to the city border, where it merges into Sikonyi Street. First turn left, then at the junction with main road 470 (leading to Békés) turn right—the bike path on the opposite side has been developed up to the center of Békés.
• From Békés center, signs direct to the Dánfok Recreation Center—after passing the last houses of Körösi Csoma Sándor Street, turn left onto the dam, then cycle on the embankment towards the road to Doboz. After the Doboz road, the embankment is less passable, so continue on the asphalt road at its base to Szanazug, from where a bike path leads to Gyula.
• From the Gyula Castle to the Fehér-Körös bridge, the route runs on low-traffic streets; after crossing the river, it proceeds straight on the main road to the castle—the same road leads back to Gyula city center.
• From Gyula Castle, passing through the city center, aim for Kossuth Lajos Square, then continue along Vértanúk Road and Csabai Road; the bike path leads back towards Békéscsaba. It's impossible to lose the way; it is important that when leaving Békéscsaba use the service road on the right side of road 44, continue straight on it to the junction leading to Póstelek—then turn right onto the narrow connecting road.
• Follow the asphalt strip to Póstelek (turning left at the only significant junction), then continue from Póstelek to road 44 in the same way.
• Under road 44, a somewhat inconspicuous underpass leads to the bike path along the Élővíz Canal; turning right towards Békéscsaba, you reach the county seat.

Detailed description of the route

The sausage capital

Many know the county seat of Békés mainly for its sausage, but few realize what makes it different from any other similar product. The sausage made strictly in Békéscsaba or Gyula is distinctive because it contains every part of at least a 135-kilogram pig, seasoned dominantly with paprika, but black pepper is excluded, and after all ingredients are in, smoking enhances its flavor. Those wishing to taste it can find producers concentrated at the sausage festival every October.

However, Békéscsaba is worth visiting not only for its sausage. You can admire the well-maintained facades in the tidy main square, visit the red-brick covered St. Anthony of Padua co-cathedral (the downtown Catholic church), from where you can ride out to the bank of the Élővíz Canal. The watercourse was created in 1777 to facilitate timber rafting from Transylvania, then about a hundred years later adapted for inland water drainage; it largely follows the former branches of the Fehér-Körös and passes through both Gyula and the county seat, so we encounter it several times on the route. On the canal bank is the Árpád Spa and Beach—two wells supply medicinal water at 76 and 40 degrees Celsius. Besides the thermal pools, there are a teaching pool, leisure pools, and a large green area during beach season welcoming visitors. Just as we leave the city center towards the canal, the enormous building of István Mill appears, from where flour was shipped between the two world wars not only to major European markets but also Algeria and Egypt—it now awaits its fate. In front of the mill, on the bank of the Élővíz Canal, there is a small railway memorial site, housing a buffet in its two wagons and commemorating the Alföld First Economic Railway (AEGV). The original line section built in 1894 (Kovácsháza-Kupapuszta) was gradually extended, and in 1949 it was connected to the Sarhadi and Mezőhegyes narrow-gauge railway lines, forming a network nearly 400 kilometers long at the time, covering the Great Plain from Vésztő to Orosháza, Békéssámson to Sarkad. Today only one or two memorial sites and street names recall this vast network; the last train ran in 1973 on the Cikóhalom line.

From Békéscsaba, we head north along the Élővíz Canal towards Békés city. Along the busy main road 470 connecting the two towns, a well-developed bike path runs—on a longer section precisely along the above-mentioned Alföld Railway’s track. In one bend, a sign marks that the so-called Bandika tree is a few hundred meters away, which can be reached by crossing the canal. According to the legend of this centuries-old poplar, Bandika, a member of the Wenckheim family who built the local castles and mansions, fell off the tree and was disabled for life; the dignified old tree is named in his memory. A ruined obelisk reminds that it was once a popular meeting place for local communists. Those riding a bike suitable for off-road (at least trekking) cycling can continue along the canal bank towards Békés from here; it is impossible to get lost, and another ancient poplar, the Cimbora tree, is also on the way.

Békés, lying on the bank of the Kettős-Körös River, is about 10 kilometers from Békéscsaba, so you can quickly reach the former county seat on two wheels, where traces of the Wenckheim family are also found: the former granary, once one of the manor’s central buildings, today houses a museum showcasing the local birdlife and the history of the settlement. From the town center, we head towards the Dánfok Recreation Center. Near the dam on the Kettős-Körös, on the protected side of the dam, there is a vast green area that offers accommodation, restaurant, beach, canoe rental, small boat rides, or just a place to relax under shady trees in summer—remember, shadow is scarce on the Great Plain during summer!

Beyond Dánfok, we continue along the dam of the Kettős-Körös River to the road leading to Doboz, where we turn onto the asphalt road at the foot of the embankment (until this point, we have ridden on a compacted dirt road on the dam crest). At Szanazug, it is worth taking a detour to the waterside again: at the confluence of the Fehér- and Fekete-Körös Rivers, the Nádas camping and Leisure Park provide good opportunities for rest and swimming; moreover, you can cross to the other side by small boat. (“If you wish to cross by ferry, signal with the bell!”)

Brick castle and palinka

When hearing the name Gyula, most people first think of the castle. The city's iconic building is renowned for being Central Europe's only intact flatland brick castle, with exhibition rooms tracing almost seven centuries of history. Although it held out for 63 days, it fell into Turkish hands in 1566 and remained under foreign rule for 129 years afterward. The fortress was renovated in 2005; in addition to the castle prison, storerooms, bakery, blacksmith, and pottery workshops, visitors can admire the castle lady's, lord's, and castellan's apartments and the knights' hall, among others. In summer, a theater also takes place in the castle courtyard: the Gyula Castle Theater opened its 55th season in June 2019.

From the castle gate, just a few meters of cycling lead to Almásy Castle. In this Baroque noble residence, visitors today find a visitor center where, besides the lives of former nobles who lived here, they can also learn about the daily life of their staff. The park surrounding the castle once featured a fallow deer park, bird-catching nets, and a turtle pond, later also an orchard and a greenhouse. Today, only small reconstructed parts of the once vast park remain, helping imagine what the castle’s environment might have once been like.

Today, partly on the former park site stands the Gyula Spa, offering medicinal water treatments and the AquaPalota adventure pool for relaxation—summer adds a beach to this. Along with the wave pool and slides, the facility also has a 50-meter competition pool, satisfying all water needs. Weary cyclists are welcomed by the Centenary Confectionery, the second oldest institution of its kind in Hungary, where besides pastries, the ornately painted walls and original Biedermeier furnishings make a visit worthwhile.

In the footsteps of the Wenckheims

The name Wenckheim frequently appears around Békéscsaba, and even residents of Budapest might recognize it since their former city palace now houses the Metropolitan Szabó Ervin Library. The noble family from Austria settled near Gyula at the end of the 18th century and built several manor houses and mansions in places like Ókígyós, Szabadkígyós, Póstelek, and Körösladány. A 19th-century family member, József Antal, was the model for the protagonist of Mór Jókai’s novel "A Hungarian Nabob."

With a short (about 10 km round trip) detour from Gyula, you can visit the Wenckheim-Almásy Castle at Gyulavár. This Baroque-style building mainly showcases the work of artists living in the southern Great Plain counties today and also houses a hymn exhibition. In the opposite direction, halfway towards Békéscsaba, lie the ruins of Póstelek Castle: roofless bare walls standing near a small lake in the middle of the Gerla park forest create a peculiar atmosphere in a generally calm environment. From spring to autumn, a buffet, restaurant, camping site, wildlife park, playground, and amusement park await tourists.

From Póstelek, it's only a few kilometers cycling to Békéscsaba on the bike path along the dam of the Élővíz Canal, where you can see what is visible elsewhere in the region: residents of Békés, Gyula, and Békéscsaba use bicycles as everyday transportation; in places, it almost feels like the Netherlands. Returning to the county seat, we cycle along the canal bank until the familiar imposing building of the István Mill comes into view. The terrain is easy, but if the wind picks up, it can cause unpleasant moments or hours—nevertheless, we recommend this route on bike paths and low-traffic roads to everyone.