Bison ronda tour from Szalafő

Itinerary

• The route starts from the square below the cultural center in Szalafő, beginning at the Tree of Life following the red heart marker across the Szerek of Szalafő.
• From Pityerszer, passing the bison observation point, we follow the S marker to the border.
• From the S marker, we turn left onto the Z marker and proceed along the border zone to the Border Stone Park.
• From the Border Stone Park, at an unmarked junction heading northeast, we turn right onto the K◼ marker, which leads back through Csörgőszer to Templomszer.
• Turning right on the K marker, after a few meters, we return to the starting point.

Detailed description of the route

Walk through Templomszer

We start from the square in front of the Szalafő cultural center at the Tree of Life. In the village center at Templomszer stands a masterfully carved seven-branched oak tree, a symbol of the ancient watchmen settlement structure, created by Jenő Milkovics. The 8-meter tall Tree of Life’s seven branches, carved with the names of the Szerek, point towards the seven hilltop Szerek of Szalafő. The tree, which fell during an old flood of the Szala, today symbolizes centuries of life affirmation and growth. At the base of the Tree of Life, a wavy line circling the stream and stylized fish figures suggest the water. The tulip symbolizes femininity, the palm bouquet masculinity, and the flower blossoming from them represents the continuity of life. The pumpkin, grapevine, and acorn depict the characteristic flora of the region, the long-eared owl embodies folk wisdom, and the butterfly refers to the diversity of creation.

The entire inner area of Szalafő is under nature protection to preserve the long-term characteristics of the Szerek. The settlement was named after a nearby two-branch stream, the Zala, or as locals call it, Szala. It was referred to as Zalafeu in 1428, later Szalafei and Szalafej, and from 1836 Szalafő, but the settlement and its parts likely arose after the Hungarian conquest, around 950, during the settlement of the western parts. Along the Szala, noble princes and later royal guards, responsible for protecting the border, maintained their special legal status until the late 14th century. They faithfully defended the border line against invading enemies from the west, such as during Emperor Henry III’s invasion in the 1050s and in 1319, when the guards sided with Charles Robert to defeat the largest local petty kings, the Kőszegs. Silent witnesses to these events stand on the far side of the main road: carved statues of Prince Árpád and King Saint Stephen.

The well house beside the Tree of Life and the former ice cellar are worth visiting. The village’s innkeeper and butcher used the ice cellar before refrigeration appeared, bringing ice from the Szala or Rába. Next to the cultural center is a memorial to those deported, where we pay tribute to the residents of Szalafő placed on the kulak list and exiled between 1950 and 1953 under ÁVH supervision to labor camps around the Hortobágy.

Opposite stands the Reformed Church, built in 1814, with a charming old local anecdote tied to its origin. During construction, the foundation was dug by the upper Szerek; thus, they intended the tower and entrance to face their own Szerek. But the lower Szerek and the Gyöngyösszerek wanted the tower and entrance to face their side, so they secretly filled in the foundation dug by the upper Szerek at night and dug a new one in the opposite direction. Because of this, the tower and entrance now face the lower Szerek side. For the sake of peace, the upper Szerek later created another entrance on the side facing their buildings. Since then, those from the lower and Gyöngyösszerek enter the church through the door facing east, while the upper Szerek enter through the west-facing door.

From Papszer to Pityerszer

After viewing the church, we head from Templomszer toward Papszer, following the local red heart marking to Pityerszer. Along the way, we glance at a several-hundred-year-old imposing oak standing in front of an inn created from a former sawmill (Gatter), and the Szala meadow with yellow lilies dotted with meadow buttercups. The striking, bright yellow, trumpet-shaped six-petaled lily typically blooms in the afternoon. Another rare occasional visitor to the meadow is the secretive, protected rail bird (Crex Crex), known colloquially as "kétkés," named after its rasping call, which sounds like sharpening a knife. This interesting sound can be heard from dusk until nightfall over several kilometers, often mistaken as frog croaking. The bird, native to South Africa, marks its breeding territory in wet and mowing meadows.

Leaving the hospitable guest farms of eastern Papszer behind, crossing the road leading to Farkasfa, we continue through western Papszer, occasionally sampling the flavors of Őrség. Descending into the Szala valley, we continue along the Felsőszer nature trail through Felsőszer. It is worth stopping at the bell-shaped Kőmpe Szeme lookout, from where we see five Szere of Szalafő. Immersing in the world of Szerek, we should know that in this village and throughout Őrség, a szere means a group of buildings formed on hilltops. Its origin dates back to the conquest when the first settlers built their homes on the higher and thus drier areas. The Szerek were mostly named after the settling families (e.g., Baksaszer, Siskaszer), but some received their names from geographical features or later-established churches (Alsószer, Felsőszer, Templomszer).

In Felsőszer, the charm of noble mansions is evoked by arcade-fronted "kódisállásos" houses, whose special anteroom allowed beggars to rest. Other sights include remaining ponds, well houses, and old, well-maintained log-cabin houses. Ponds are common in several Őrség settlements, usually created during the construction of sod houses plastered with mud for clay extraction. The resulting pits collected water used for watering animals and soaking hemp and flax. The ponds were fenced and regularly measured for water. In Felsőszer, one can also get closer to the art of pumpkin seed oil pressing and taste the green gold of Őrség, the pumpkin seed oil.

Crossing the Felsőszeri brook, we continue to Szalafő’s most archaic szere, Pityerszer. Climbing the hillside in May, we encounter the lovely pink-flowered dwarf shrub, a cherished treasure featured in the Őrség National Park’s emblem, the limp orchid, and the smör orchid. The latter is notable as Europe's smallest flowering orchid, named for the smör-like purple-spotted pattern on its white background lip.

The treasures of Pityerszer

We arrive at Pityerszer at a bench dedicated to ethnographer and museologist János Bárdosi. Bárdosi played a major role in acquiring old farms in Szalafő-Pityerszer in 1969-1970 and was instrumental in establishing the Őrség Folk Architectural Complex exhibition units and opening them to visitors. Interestingly, Bárdosi's famous ethnographer family participated in designing the rotatable relief built into the bench's board.

It is worth looking back from the bench towards recently abandoned Felsőszer. According to local memory, Károly Koós also fondly watched the peaceful Őrség landscape from here. From this point, after a few steps, we reach one of the symbols of the preserved valuables here, the so-called "enclosed house." This house type, characteristic of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was born as the half-stable animal husbandry advanced. Livestock farming required safe accommodation and protection of animals, especially at night from wolves and roaming bandits. The thatched, cross-beamed, log-cabin, scissor-legged, and raftered roof enclosed house can be approached from its covered porch; inside are the living kitchen, clean room, pantry, stables, and pens. In the yard was formerly a manure pile, outside the stable a woodcutter's shed. In the carriage house is an old threshing machine and beside it the tools of the former threshing lads, including a flail. The living kitchen has a tile stove heating system, dish shelves, and original kitchen utensils. The clean room’s painted chest and boot pull evoke the atmosphere of the early 20th century. The large barn in front of the enclosed house, the pond of the szere, the Visontai house, and the "stolen porch" stable barn display the daily lives of the inhabitants authentically. The "stolen porch" is the inward part formed from the building’s façade.

Among the interesting features of the stable barn, in the room above the cellar, we can see an exhibition sensitively depicting the nocturnal animals of the szere. In the stable yard, there are seed samples of crops grown long ago. Around the building, it is also worth walking the nature trail showcasing the mowing orchard fruit trees. The two-story smokehouse (kamra) next to the pond is considered the most valuable building of the heritage complex. This building type, found only here in Hungary, stored food on the upper floor and wine, pálinka, and grain on the ground floor; the open shed housed the press, wind sieve, and cart. The smokehouse with oven last functioned as a herdsman's house. Its chimneyless smoke escaped through the smoke hole above the entrance door or a sliding wooden shutter window. This two-cell archaic house type housed a large family in one half, and the pantry and pens in the other - all under a single thatched roof. The house’s mortised log walls were insulated with clay plaster and then whitewashed.

In Pityerszer, we can try pressing pumpkin seed oil, and children can enjoy craft activities, a playhouse, or a playground fitting into the landscape. Our hunger can be satisfied at the Pityerszer tavern.

From the bison observation to the Border Stone Park

From Pityerszer, we continue on the S marker along the Körti nature trail. Our first stop is the bison observation point, where from a constructed lookout we can observe European bisons and Eurasian wild horses. Bulls of European bisons grazing large areas and consuming both grass and foliage usually weigh 600-800 kg, cows between 300-400 kg. Once only hunted with royal privilege, the habitats of these animals have steadily shrunk over the past centuries, and their populations last survived in the Białowieża Forest in Poland. Since 2017, the Őrség National Park Directorate has participated in conserving this impressive species and reintroducing them to their natural habitat. At this observation point, part of the population within the national park can be seen. Alongside bisons, we can also glimpse the compact and stout Przewalski horses characterized by their thick, erect manes. The wild horse, described as the closest wild relative of the domestic horse, has never been successfully domesticated and remains truly wild.

From the bison observation point, we proceed along a forestry road to the loading area. Along the way, it is worth looking for the T-marked peacock butterfly resting by day with folded wings on tree trunks or under leaf litter. This butterfly species is easily identifiable by its orange-yellow, ochre-yellow wings with broad black borders bearing a white, stylized T shape in dark blue spots. Along the forest edge, we can also encounter the protected round-leaved wintergreen belonging to the heather family, recognized by its whitish flower clusters and evergreen, egg-shaped leaves.

From the loading area to the border, we go, turning left on the Z marker. With open eyes, we may notice several specimens of the broad-leaved lady's slipper orchid growing up to 70 cm tall. This herbaceous plant of the orchid family has decorative flowers ranging in color from greenish-yellow to purple; the inner part of its lip is purple, with a characteristic heart-shaped appendage on the outside. An interesting fact is that it lives symbiotically with fungi, absorbing significant nutrients through them. Its life cycle is fascinating: its first shoots appear only 9 years after germination, flowering 1-2 years later. There can be 8-18 years between bloomings while it gathers strength. Its lifespan can be up to 30 years. It blooms from June to mid-August, emitting substances that attract predatory wasps by mimicking the signals of caterpillar-attacked plants. The wasps are tricked but perform the pollination.

In the untouched romantic border zone, we may encounter one of the smallest woodpeckers, the lesser spotted woodpecker feeding on butterfly larvae and aphids. The bird with a red cap (black on females), white underside, and cross-striped back can be found in candle oak forests. On this section, a unique sight is the Eurasian eagle-owl sitting mainly on spruce trees, recognizable by its orange eyes and ear tufts. The silent-flying specimens with about a 1-meter wingspan can also be seen in groups as colder autumn days arrive.

Tight border control

We stay on the Z marker to the border point where the road connecting Szalafő and Hodos is. Here, we can visit the newly established Border Stone Park. This forest rest area also serves to showcase the strict border control that shaped the lives of people living along the border. The park is marked by the track and barbed wire fencing and the border stones. The cleared band, about 5-6 meters wide and 30-40 meters from the state border on Hungary's side, was intended mainly to record the footprints of border violators. Morning, evening, and night patrols regularly checked this track. Border violators tried to cross using various clever tools (e.g., board slippers with animal footprints, high jump poles), but their efforts were frustrated by the SZ 100 electric alarm system installed nearby, connected to the border guard station. Cutting the wire would trigger alarms at the station and poles.

After learning about former border control, at the northwest corner of the border guard park, we change to the K◼ marker, following it to the right. In forest puddles, we may notice yellow-bellied toads moving. Their gray backs blend with the surroundings, but their vividly yellow-spotted bellies attract attention, as their skin produces a toxic secretion. The yellow-bellied toad gets its name from its "unk-unk" call and the yellow color of its belly. Interestingly, lacking a vocal sac, it makes a quieter sound during mating than its red-bellied relative.

On our route, we marvel at the rich mushroom world of Őrség, with the fly agaric being one of the most beautiful representatives. It is a half-globular mushroom with a red cap adorned with wart-like white spots and a hanging collar, visible from afar. The white spots are remnants of the egg-shaped cover splitting as the fruit body develops. The name comes from its toxic effect; it was used by applying it on paper strips to kill flies. Siberian and Lapland shamans once used this mushroom as a psychoactive substance, attributing particular significance to the seven-spotted specimens.

Our path leads to Szalafő-Csörgőszer. Here, at the Jakosa farm, is the first pumpkin seed oil press in Őrség, established in the 1930s. The tradition of pressing pumpkin seed oil came from Muravidék to Őrség. Traditionally, the oil was produced from pumpkin seeds harvested in early October, though nowadays earlier harvests due to early ripening happen in early autumn. The seeds are dried, then gathered during long winter evenings and hulled together. Next, they are ground and kneaded in a tub with hot water and salt. The resulting mass is carefully heated in a pot on the stove until the added water evaporates. The prepared mass is placed in an oak press to extract the pumpkin seed oil. Oil was also produced from walnut shells.

Descending from the ridge through the farms of Csörgőszer, we arrive at Templomszer, turn right, and follow the K marker back to our starting point, the Tree of Life.